


Prince of the Tearling

by LadyGinoza



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Abduction, Corruption, Gen, merman, rape mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-01 07:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 129,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5198108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyGinoza/pseuds/LadyGinoza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe. Merman Kou saves Human Gino.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This could turn dark pretty fast so if you are faint of heart well I'm sorry but you are safe for now with the first chapter.

**Chapter 1**

**Ginoza**

I was told time and time again by father that those who hold power have the biggest responsibilies. That kingship is my duty and that a king must put his people first. A king should live and rule for them with kindness and respect. In turn, they would return their love and protection a thousand folds. I have yet to see this love; their protection that father spoke of, this isn’t love. I’m not safe…

Ever since I could walk, I was trained in the art of sword play. I was thought the courtesies in court and the world of politics. I was raised to be the perfect prince, expected to take the throne once father passes away of old age one day. But, even after all those years of constant training in the arts of combat. When the time came, I was completely useless.

Everything happened so fast. There wasn’t any time to think and the men who had joined me for a ride in the king’s wood fell one by one. They fought bravely but in the end, I was surrounded by enemies and I was forced to lay down my sword in defeat.

My men’s sacrifice had all been for nothing. They died in vain and I was captured anyway which only further adds insult to their valiant effort to keep me safe. They deserved more than what they got. They didn’t deserve to be butchered like animals in the middle of the woods like they did. It's all my fault because I wasn't strong enough…

“He’s worth a lot but to whom do we sell him to?” One asks. A rather large man with greasy thick black hair and dried up blood on his arms and tattered and filthy clothes. 

“The king will pay up.” Another responds quickly but I can’t tell which one from where I am but I don’t like his tone, his voice. “He’ll want his beloved son back.” He adds and I want to protest on that. But knowing my father, he probably would pay a large amount of gold for my safe return much to my dismay…

I’m nothing but a burden-

“Fuck the king!” A loud voice booms cutting the others off. It's a voice that commands attention so I’ll assume that he must be the leader of this little cult. “There are other potential buyers who would be interested in getting their hands on the king’s only son.” He adds and I wish he hadn’t said that.

“This country has enemies. We can always sell the boy to the larger one and in turn, that would be more beneficial on our ends.” The greasy man states and I wish they would all just shut up already. They should start acting a little like I’m in fact here and able to hear everything that they are planning to do to me.

It's exactly what I feared would happen though. My country is wealthy and my father could certainly pay whatever ransom they would demand in exchange for my safe return. But, that’s not the only thing that it has. Our lands are vast and rich. The terrain is a perfect defense and we hold a large infantry army including a strong cavalry unit and skilled archers. Not to mention that our navy fleet is just as grand.

Being surrounded by the sea, our cities and villages protected by the mountain sides. You would need a large army to bring my country down to its knees. 

My people are strong, resilient and proud. They would not kneel in defeat. They would not surrender their lands without a fight and my father’s enemies knows this very well. It's knowing this fact that has kept the enemy countries from ever attempting to invade our lands to begin with. But, if they were to have me as an hostage... The situation would surely change and my home would fall into chaos.

“An exchange for power and wealth. I’m fine with that.”

An exchange for power and wealth…?

In the world of politics there are no exchange for power and wealth. The moment you turn your back on your liege lord for another with a bargain. You are immediately branded as untrustworthy and a traitor. 

Sure, they will give you a false promise in your face. They’ll take up your offer with open arms. And then, they'll take you directly to the torture chamber to squeeze out any other information that you may possibly hold. Even though they know perfectly well that the traitors probably don't know anything of importance.

All of these men. They are careless and ignorant. They have no idea that they will be walking right into the slaughter house once they’ve handed me over to their new king. They will never see the profit of their betrayal, only death awaits them if they do this.

Their roaring drunken laughters are despicable. Drinking and eating around their small fire and I’m not even sure if they’ve forgotten about me in their drunken state or they simply do not care. They no longer look behind them to see if I’m still there as if they are completely certain that my binds will keep me here. Can’t say that they’re wrong. Since earlier, I’ve been trying to free myself but I haven’t had much success and this gag is starting to make me nauseous.

As the night slowly passes, one by one my captors fall asleep from consuming too much wine. These men must be nothing more than sell swords and illegal traders. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of them sold slaves for a living.

I keep on struggling against my bonds. Trying not to be too loud as I don't want to wake those filths up. 

After a bit of struggle, I finally start to feel the grip around my wrist loosen little by little until I was able to slip my hands free. Next thing I do, I quickly reach to my face to get that damn gag out of my mouth and lastly. I turn my attention to the binds around my ankles.

I get up and start backing away slowly when I hear a vicious growl causing me to fall onto the ground in my slight panic and only inches away from my face is a snarling dog that would have bitten me if it could. Fortunately, the rope around his neck doesn’t allow it to come any closer but his growls and vicious barks only helped to alert my captors that there was something wrong. Because of that damn dog, it alerted my captors that I had somehow freed myself but I don’t wait for them to get up as I bolt into a run.

I was thought that a prince should never run away, that he should always stand his ground and fight. I get that, I really do but how is that always a logical option to make? 

If I stand my ground and fight right now, I won’t die because they need me alive but I won’t win either so what would be the point to stand and fight. To me, sometimes you have to run in order to fight another day.

These woods, if I haven’t been through them a hundred times before I haven’t been through them at all. Even as I run in the night, navigating through the branches and fallen trees. I know exactly where I am. I know exactly where I’m going and unfortunately it also means that I’m heading straight for a cliff with a long drop into the ocean. 

I could jump off the cliff but I don’t know if I would survive the fall. I can always stop and get myself captured again and then be traded off to my father’s enemy. If that happens,my people will be the ones to be butchered in their sleep. The women will get raped and the children will be sold off into slavery.

There really isn’t much to think about. My life or the lives of thousands? The choice is rather logical.

Kingship isn't my right to behold. It is my duty to protect my people no matter the consequences.

The rocks coming into view snaps me out of my  thoughts as I exit the forest without stopping my pace. My heart is beating fast from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Not thinking twice as I jump off the high rocks. 

I feel the wind cutting into me while the fall feels like an eternity and for a moment, everything seems calm now. A strange kind of serenity has taken over my mind. For some reason, nothing seems to matter anymore. All is quiet before a sudden sharp pain surges through my body as I entered the cold abyss of the ocean waves.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 1.5**

**Kougami**

Humans are such odd creatures.

They constantly travel on wooden vessels in order to go from place to place and what's funny about it is that more than half of them sink like a rock straight down at the bottom of the water. They can’t seem to breathe unless they’re on the surface and yet they continue to float on top of the waters knowing full well of the dangers that lurk underneath them and still they come in vast numbers. Claiming whatever they find as theirs and whatever they don’t understand they either kill or destroy.

How many of these ignorant and clueless humans have we saved from death in these waters? Too many in my opinion if you ask me. By all means, we should let them die. After all, they do not shy away from hunting us down and yet they call us monsters and foul creatures of the sea. Unlike them, we have never killed a single human so I wonder who the monsters really are?

Humans… They’re such selfish and heartless creatures…

I've constantly seen them destroy each other’s wooden vessels with large metal balls. They burn each other’s towns and sack their fishing villages. Humans constantly cause their own brethren, their own kind harm and pain. They thrive seeing others fall in order to climb up in their so called society even if it means killing each other. They will do anything to hold onto more power.

It’s foolish if you ask me but tonight the stars are in abundance and the moon is shining ever so brightly. The air is cool and the waves are calm. I can almost forget about the humans’ ignorance for a moment and simply focus on those stars instead. But of course, like always, there is never any tranquility when humans are near. They are so loud but they’re more than usual at this period of the night which peaks my curiosity and way up on that land away from the sea. I see a figure running towards the end of the earth.

The figure must be able to see that the earth is about to end but it never stops and continues right over the edge and way down into the water.

I shouldn’t concern myself with the things of humans. After all, they’ve been killing my people for so long that I can no longer remember when it started. I should be instead swimming away and back into the shallow waters. I should swim away from these beasts and yet, I find myself swimming towards where the figure fell into the water.

It wasn’t hard to find the figure that fell, more like jumped to its death would be more accurate. It surely knew what it was doing and yet I didn’t see any hesitation in its movements when it made its leap of faith.

It’s not too surprising that it’s a male human too. But, just like most humans, he sank right at the bottom but it could also be caused by the impact of the fall. He’s not conscious but I can sense that he’s still alive. A part of me is saying that I should abandon this human and swim away but another part of me doesn’t want to leave him to die.

Distance disturbance catches my attention; something is getting closer to this location. Sounds like more humans, humans hunting another human it would seem. It would explain this one’s sudden action to leap off the earth and into the jaws of the ocean. Maybe it could be why my instincts are telling me to flee with this human and that’s exactly what I do. With the human under my arm, I swim away in all haste towards a tunnel and surface into a small cave.

I lift the human onto the damp rocks and then I lift myself up to inspect the human as he coughs up a bit of water from his mouth but he’s breathing and doesn’t seem to be injured.

I sweep away the wet strands of hair away from his face; his skin is so pale almost like porcelain or ivory. Although he’s indeed male, his features are not like the human males that I have seen before. The ones I’ve seen had large circular stomachs. They were filthy, disgusting and had more hairs in places than I can count.

But this one…

He has dark hair. Dark as coal, maybe even darker but it's not really that uncommon. I’ve seen this color before on many and yet his feels like silk and they look like silk too. His hair is nothing like that matted clumps that I’ve seen so many times on those humans aboard those wooden vessels. His skin is soft too, radiant and clean but something has caused damage to his wrists.

A restraint, maybe?

He’s small and yet longer than most human males that I’ve seen. But, unlike the others, he possesses delicate facial features and a delicate body structure. One could almost mistake this male for a female if it wasn't for the lack of breasts. He surely is fair.

He gently stirs and lets out a few sounds before opening his eyes. Bright greens meeting mine, almost hypnotic and somehow his beauty has grown by hundreds in a matter of seconds. I’ve never laid eyes on such a beautiful human before, he’s beautiful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Ginoza**

Pain…

Waves of pain…

They started out distant but slowly, little by little the waves of pain have started getting stronger but they’re not intense. They are actually bearable to say the least which is surprising. To say, I’ve had worst pains before but there’s still something there.

My vision is blurry but I’m not blinded by any sources of light. Everything is dim and all I see in my poor vision state are glittering rocks. Even though there is definitely a lack of lighting in here and that I feel soaked to the bone, I’m not cold. Actually somehow the air feels slightly warm and yet damp but not cold.

I don’t remember what happened. All that I do remember is running away from my captors and after that I jumped off the edge of the cliff. I saw my rapid fall down into the ocean and then everything went black. The impact of the fall into the cold water sucked the breath out of me. The water hitting my body felt like many stinging daggers all at once and then that was it…

I don’t remember anything else that happened afterwards; I don’t know how I got here. Obviously someone dragged me out of the freezing water after I passed out from the pain but I don’t think it’s my captors who did. I don’t hear their drunken laughters. Everything is quiet with only the sound of dripping water on the stones is present.

I don’t feel like I’ve been taken captive again, I’m not tied up or anything but who saved me? Where am I and how did I get here? By all means, I should be dead…

My body feels sore; it’s only a reminder that everything had indeed been real and not just a dream. No… More like a bloody nightmare. Whether it’s actually over or not, I don’t know. Nothing feels real or maybe my mind is just hazy from that fall.

Little by little my vision is starting to adjust and I’m starting to see a bit clearer. The glittering rocks are covered in gold and precious gems of various colours and sizes. 

It looks like I’m in a cave, it’s strangely vast and everywhere I look, all I see is gold and gems. I can only imagine what people would do if they knew about this place. Just how many people would die in order to get their hands on this stuff…

I look to my right when I see a shadow lurking over me and a naked man enters my vision-

My reflex was to quickly jolt backwards away from the man. Ignoring the pain that was engulfing throughout my body as I continued backing away and then my hands no longer had any contact with solid stone as I plunged backwards, head first back into the water but unlike before the water isn’t cold but is instead warm which makes absolutely no sense but at the moment it doesn’t matter if I can’t resurface.

The water is dark and I can barely see as I feel against the rocks, trying to find an opening in order to surface for air but I can’t seem to locate anything but a ceiling of rocks and the more I search with little success I can feel my panic growing and growing with each passing seconds as I start feeling pain to my chest, my lungs desperately pleading for air.

I’m almost at my limit; I know I can’t hold my breath for much longer. With my sudden fall, I didn’t have time to take a proper deep breath and I’m paying for it at this very moment. Just when my hope is starting to fade away, I feels strong hands grab my sides and pull me upwards back to the surface that had been so close to me and yet I couldn’t find it.

I gasp for air the moment I hit the surface, back face to face with the same man from before. His eyes a deep piercing blue. Almost like sapphires and although I’ve seen a few people with blue eyes before, his are different. His are like an endless abyss and somehow if I get too close I’ll be sucked in but there’s something different about this man. He doesn’t seem human and my questions were quickly answered when I feel something not quite human brush against my legs and I knew right then what he was. 

This man, he's what I had heard about when I was a little boy from the returning sailors. The tales of Mermans and mermaids dragging sailors into the depths of the ocean, ravaging them and then pulling those men down to their deaths never to be seen ever again.

“You can float, that’s a rarity.” He spoke… The merman spoke just like any other human but I was told that they couldn't speak and if they can it’s only under the water. That if they try to speak on the surface all we could hear is a piercing screech that could make our ears bleed and yet he spoke clearly and flawlessly in my native tongue like he had done so a million times.

I swallowed the lump that had found itself in my throat before answering a shaky yes. I don’t know if he can sense my fear. I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions but I can see that he’s obviously amused as he keeps reducing the distance between us and thanks to this cylinder hole he took me to surface, I can’t flee. I’m trapped.

“Afraid human?” He asks almost tauntingly.

“I know what you are, you’re not scaring me.” I answer. My voice not betraying me even though I know that I’m shaking. I just hope that will be enough to convince him otherwise.

I’ve heard so many stories about mermans and mermaids. About how they prey on defenseless humans who are alone and then lure them to their deaths. How they shouldn’t be trusted. That the moment they have the chance, they’ll drag you down to the bottom of the ocean to die a most painful death.

“You’re a terrible liar, you’re afraid.” He says, placing his hands on my hips and pulling himself closer to me, his face only inches away from mine. “You don’t have to be, I won’t harm you.” He adds softly. His lips brushing against mine gently and I jerk my head backwards, slightly hitting the back of my head against the stone wall.

“What are you doing?” The question came out quicker and sharper than I had intended but he didn’t care. He still wore that same grin on his face, clearly amused at everything that I do and say.

Exactly what is his deal? Shouldn’t he have tried to kill me by now or do mermans love to torture their preys before doing so?

“Kiss you, all humans do this.” He casually answers as he moves in to press his lips against mine and I quickly turn my head to avoid him.

“Men don’t kiss other men.” I answer back.

“Yes they do.” He quickly adds, trying again to kiss me and once again I avoid his action much to his amusement. He doesn’t seem annoyed or angry that I keep refusing his advances. It’s more like he enjoys it instead, like it’s all just a big game to him.

“How would you know? You’re not human.” I blurt out as I avoid his advance again.

“Because I’ve seen them.” He answers, pressing his body against mine. Moving his hands from my hips to my behind and presses his lips against mine.

“No!” I manage to say after I pull away from his kiss and slightly push him away before adding. “You can’t just kiss me and touch me as you please. I don’t want to be touched or kissed without my permission.”

“Can I kiss you then?” He asks quite amusingly and I can’t even believe that he even had the nerve to ask. How can he even think that asking me now, when only minutes earlier he forced himself onto me? What is wrong with him?

“No you can’t.” I answer before taking a deep breath and sink under the water, swimming to find a way out when I feel the merman take my hand and pulls me forward, going much faster than how I could have swam on my own and before I knew it. We resurfaced back to where I had been before I got spooked and fell into the water.

I climb up onto the rocks, getting myself out of the water and only then do I start to feel a bit more relaxed. Somehow, now that I’m no longer in the water, I feel somewhat safe and yet, if he wanted to hurt me he could have done it just then but instead, he chose to lead me here. Why?

He leans onto the ledge, laying his head in his crossed arms staring at me for a few minutes before pushing himself away and disappearing under the water and all goes quiet.

When I jumped off the edge of the cliff, this wasn’t what I had in mind…

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 2.5**

**Kougami**

This human is just so beautiful and his scent is so alluring. I just can’t help myself from feeling him under my hands. His taste onto my lips is like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Everything about him is just captivating and yet I feel a sense of innocence from this one. He’s not like the other humans that I’ve seen.

“No!” His voice was sharp and firm as he presses his hands against my chest to push me away in his sudden resolve.

The fear he had in his eyes earlier has now been replaced by a strong fire, a certain will to fight. He may be frail compared to the other male humans but there’s courage in him and a sense of pride. This one is without a doubt different from the others. I’ve never heard of a human able to deny any of our advances and yet for him it just seems natural to do so.

“You can’t just kiss me and touch me as you please. I don’t want to be touched or kissed without my permission.” He tells me.

“Can I kiss you then?” The question slipped through my lips and rolled off my tongue without putting in much thought and quite frankly I don't even know why I asked such a stupid question in the first place.

I shouldn’t have asked. I obviously offended this human with my actions and even though I know this, I want to touch him even more. I want to see more of this human’s body. I want to have his taste on my tongue, and I want to hear the voice that he’ll make in pure ecstasy.

“No you can’t.” He answered before submerging himself into the water.

I knew he’d say that. I knew that he would have denied my advance again and yet it stung to be rejected but I can’t abandon this human. There’s something about him that is special and maybe a little foolish but special none the less.

I sink into the water as I watch him searching for another exit without much luck. He’s foolish and naive but he is without a doubt brave. In time, this human can come to do great things but I sense some insecurities and uncertainties from him which might hinder his growth but he’s still young. He has time to grow but he won’t grow if he dies here.

I bolt towards him, taking his hand in mind and speed up my pace in order to resurface where I had first surfaced when I arrived here.

He wasted no time getting out of the water. He doesn’t trust me and that pains my heart. I shouldn’t expect any love from a human and yet somehow I wish to receive his love and affection. I’m captivated by his beauty and the way that he looks at me, I know that he’s also captivated by me and yet he keeps pushing me away. It’s like there’s a fear of me deep inside of him and that fear blocks him from getting closer to me but there’s also something else. I feel like he fears to love. What kind of things has this human seen to turn him this way?

I rest against the ledge for a few minutes, starring at him before I leave him for a bit and swim back into the ocean, out of the cave when I’m greeted by loud voices on the water shore.

I approach, careful not to be seen as I listen to the voices. The tones of the voices are in anger and with malicious intends without a doubt. The voices belongs to human males that I’ve seen much too often on the open sea before and only a few that I don't recognize but they keep arguing about a boy. About how they were not able to find a single boy but they didn’t have to say much. I knew who the boy they were referring to and it would also explain the reason of his wary state and the bruised wrists.

There are always humans wanting to cause harm to other humans. They are merciless creatures without much care, without any sense of honor or compassion.

“Wait until I get my hands on that brat, he’ll regret running.” One of them spats. A rather disgusting and large male, not even I would want to touch him. I don’t have to be near him to know that he reeks, piss and wine. Probably reeks of his own excrements too, a complete disgusting pile of shit.

“He won’t receive the same hospitality as before.” Another says. This one I don’t recognize but compared to the others he’s better dressed and looks cleaner. His social status must be higher also, well much higher than the others. “When you find the boy, bring him directly to me.” He orders and I can sense the cruel intent in his tone as he spoke as the males spread out in different directions.

I submerge again into the water before I get seen by them and swim back to the cave, hoping that the human didn’t do anything foolish while I was gone shortly and actually remained there where I had left him and much to my relief, he’s there walking around the cave. Looking at the wall and touching the gems stuck onto the rocks.

He backs away from the wall when he hears me and I pull myself onto the rocks. He seems uneasy and wary of me but I can imagine what has happened to this human now. He ran off the edge of the earth, clearly running for his life. The things he must have seen, I feel the need to protect him.

“Do the gems attract your eyes?” I ask, trying to start a conversation, maybe not the best thing to start with.

“No… There are just so many.” He responds as he looks around. A little uncomfortable maybe as if he thinks that I’m somehow judging him for staring at shiny stones. “I’ve just never seen so many before. Gems are supposed to be rare. I just never expected to see so many in one place in great abundance, that’s all.”

Humans have always had this fascination towards gems, silver and gold. It’s only a substance that the earth creates after certain amounts of years at specific concentration of natural material and pressure. They don’t have value other than being beautiful and unique but to humans, those who wield the most of these precious minerals hold great power over the others of their kind and that to me is just strange.

I smile as I watch him pace around, careful not to fall in the open holes that would take him back into the water. He’s so beautiful and somehow he’s even more than before. Maybe because he’s fully awake now and his voice only makes his beauty stand out even more.

“Pick the ones that you like, I’m sure they are worth much in your society.” I tell him and I can just imagine how he would look with such gems on him. His face, his eyes, his form is just made for such delicate things. He’s not made for war, he shouldn’t have to endure any pain and if I can have my way he won’t have to.

“I don’t need more wealth. Taking them would only be greed on my part.” He states, not bothering to look at me as he spoke, peaking my curiosity.

“Ahh… Socially high?” I blurt out curiously.

“Very…” He answers back.

“A merchant? Or those high sailors with the fancy coats?” I ask, thinking back at those grand wooden vessels and those males wearing so much clothing and although they seemed young by their facial features they all had white hair and styled all the same.  It’s actually weird and a bit creepy. It’s like they all want to look the same.

“No, those are low borns and soldiers.” He slowly answered with a pained smile before continuing, “My father is the king.”

“A prince? I knew you were different from the others but I never would have expected that you were a prince.” I tell him and that’s the truth. I could feel like he was different but I never would have imagined that he was this high into society. I have to admit, I’m surprised. A prince of humans, never thought I’d see one of those.

It is common knowledge to all of my people that the higher the human is socially the more horrible and beast like they are. They are the ones holding all the power and wealth and use those two things to repress the common folk. They use others to gain what they desire and if they must, they will end another’s life but this human who claims to be a prince is nothing of the sort. I sense compassion and kindness from this human, he’s different. So very different.

“Come over here, I won’t hurt you. You don’t have to fear me.” I tell him and much to my relief and surprise he came forward and sat on a rock near me, so near I could touch him if I wanted to but I won’t. He doesn’t want to be touched and that’s important to respect another’s wishes.

“What’s your name?” I ask catching a quick glimpse of his gorgeous green eyes behind those strands of black hair.

“Ginoza.” He answers and adds, “What’s yours?”

“You can call me Kougami.” I tell him as I go to reach out to touch his hand but refrain from doing so as I remember his earlier statement that he did not wish to be touched and thus he should not be touched and that memory only helps to fuel my fear as my thought goes back to those up there on the earth. They are humans that would wish to bring Ginoza harm, to bring harm to their own prince. That is something that I cannot comprehend the ways of thinking of humans, it’s insane.

Those humans had impure thoughts about him that as much I know they did. The one that was well dressed had more than just impure thoughts. Unlike the others who are much too cowards to carry out their thoughts into actions, the well-dressed one will carry out his thoughts into actions but it will not be out of love. It will be out of lust and for the sole purpose of defiling another human. An action to dominate, to hurt and to control.   

“I should apologize for my earlier behavior. Your beauty is terrifyingly striking and quite difficult to resist. I will not be touching you again unless you want me to.” I say catching his eyes, giving him a smile and he gives me a soft smile in return. Gentle and yet so sad, I would have Ginoza smiling of joy if I can have it.

“I need to go home…” He mutters.

Ginoza is a prince of humans, someone with power but in order to utilize that power he needs to be in his world. It doesn’t change the fact that the very humans that he should have power over have tried to harm him and I know for a fact that they still do. So how can I allow Ginoza to go back out there? I just can’t.

“There are some humans who would love to hurt you. You’re not safe up there, surrounded by such madness.” I tell him after choosing my words carefully but my words did not reach him.

He knows of the danger that still lurks up there, I know he does. Ginoza doesn’t give me like the type who would so naively believe that the danger has gone away or lost interest. He knows of the insanity that awaits him on the surface and yet he’s fully okay to go back and place himself into possible dangers.

“I’ll be safe home with my father. I need you to take me home.” He adds but I can’t agree with him. How can he be safe when not long ago he was running for his life and would have died if not for me? 

If I had not been where I was tonight, I never would have seen him fall into the ocean. I wouldn’t have been able to save him and he would have died within minutes.

“I can’t do that.” I firmly state, meeting his gaze.

“Why not?” He asks.

How can he just ask me a question when he fully knows the answer to it? Does he have a death wish or something?

“There are humans up there who want to hurt you. You’re a prince, safety is a price that must be paid for power, and sadly you will never be safe up there.” I say as I control the urge to reach out to touch Ginoza. Not touching him is much harder to do than I had first thought it would be. I just want to hold him in my arms, to comfort and take the pain away.

“I never wanted to be. I didn’t choose my father, I didn’t choose to be born into all of this but I still have responsibilities to my people. I can’t stay here.” He tells me and I have to give it to him that compared to other humans he doesn’t run from the things that he should. 

So many that I’ve seen would have jumped on the bandwagon to flee their responsibilities but Ginoza embraces it even though he doesn’t want those burdens on his shoulders. Actually, it feels more like he has surrendered to those responsibilities that he’s been born into.

“I’ll take you home… When the time is right, right now it isn’t but I’ll take you home.” I tell him but that's not what I want.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Sugo**

This is without a doubt one of the biggest nightmares that this kingdom has ever experienced.

The sudden death of the queen was one thing since her death was somewhat tragic. But it wasn't because of just the death itself that made the ordeal tragic. It was how it had been completely unexpected and so sudden.

The queen was so young at the time of her death. She was also known for having a strong health so her death came as a shock to us all. No one saw it coming...

To have died at such a young age under mysterious circumstances was indeed one thing. The most heartbreaking bit was the fact that by her passing, she left a young child motherless. A child that still needed his mother but she was taken from him.

I think with the knowledge that the prince was left without a mother was definitely one thing that had sent the population weeping for their beloved queen. It was only natural and normal considering the circumstances.

Anyway, the troubling disappearance of the country's only prince and heir would surely be enough to send the people into an uproad this time around. So, for now at least. I believe that it be best if everything should be kept secret for as long as we can afford it.

By the information I was able to gather in such a short period of time. Apparently, the prince was last seen leaving the castle grounds early in the morning for a ride into the king’s wood with an escort of five well trained knights of the king’s guard. By noon, when none of them returned from the morning ride. The commander of the king’s guards set out to look for them with a few good men but all they found was the dead bodies of the five knights and the prince was nowhere to be found.

After receiving this troubling news, it was rather obvious what had happened to the prince. The king wasted no time sending out as many riders as he could afford to let out in search for his son. It was the only thing he could do in this kind of situation and now all he can do is wait and pray for the best outcome. But, I can’t stand still and wait for orders when there are things that I can do. I may not have any experience in cavalry or know the landscape of this country by heart but I know the sea. I know these waters like the back of my hand and I’ll be damned if I allow whoever kidnapped my prince to escape this country by the sea.

“Teppei, my boy do not do this. Wait for orders from the king.” My father urges me to reconsider but I’ve made up my mind a long time ago.

I was never expected to become much. My father was nothing more than a simple merchant sailor and my mother simply a common woman. The only thing that was ever expected from me was to become a merchant sailor just like my father and his father before him but I turned away from that path a long time ago.

I chose my own path and carved my own way into the navy and became a commander in my own rights with the men of my choosing. I’ve never failed a task that I’ve set my mind onto and my men follow me without a doubt in their mind and due to that. My reputation has become solid and strong but I couldn’t do it alone. 

A commander is only as good as the men that serves under him and not the other way around. What makes a good commander is being able to assemble your men and to guide them into whatever duty that must be done. It’s being able to rally them into jumping right into the fiery hells that awaits without a second thought.

Everything that I know about the sea, I’ve learned from my father and my grandfather. I’ve sailed these waters more times than I can count but it wasn’t enough for me. 

To live the life of an honest merchant sailor. To simply waste my life away and become nothing more than a washed up old man in the later years with just a wife and children. That life, it just wasn’t for me because I knew I was able to become something much more than that. If a wife and children didn’t fit into the life that I desired then so be it.

My path was decided a long time ago. I made my choice on the day I first laid my eyes onto the prince for the first time when I was seventeen and it was in that moment that I decided that I would one day serve him. He would be my king one day and I would serve him in the best way that I could and that was on the sea where I knew my way best.

“I picked the fastest ship in the fleet. I chose the sixty best killers on the Stone Islands and I’m going to sail up the Narrow Sea all the way to the Red River and occupy the Iron Wall and cut off the enemy from there. I’m going to find my prince and I’m going to bring him home.” I tell my father much to his dismay I know but I must do this, it's my duty.

The Stone Islands have always been known for being notorious for their cut throats and savagery. But, I saw something more when I landed onto those shores seven years ago. I saw strong and prideful men and women who were being wasted away into nothingness. Their legacy slowly being washed away for simply refusing to bend the knee to the crown due to their beliefs and barbaric ways. 

Where some saw nothing but criminals. I saw potential and I knew what I had to do because to me, having those strong and courageous men of the sea forced to stay on land was simply just a waste in my opinion.

I grew up on the sea. I’ve seen more people than I can count but I have never seen such a large group of people with such a strong understanding of the sea as much as they did. They worshiped the ocean and everything in it. They put their uttermost faith into that dark blue abyss and I knew that I would never be able to find better men to mend my ships out onto the open sea. I would never be able to find better men to wage war onto the raging open waters as much as they could so I made it my job to bring them into the fold under my command by any means necessary.

Getting these Islanders into the fold for the crown wasn’t easy. Can’t say that it was a pleasant experience or maybe it was and I just don’t want to admit it because those were indeed the good old days. 

Fighting to earn my right to stand by them as their equal sure was one hell of a rush. I never experienced such a wild thrill as much as I did back then and every fight I fought that day was so worth it. Every punch, every kick and every cut. I took them all because it was just so worth it.

In the end, it wasn’t my battle skills that got me into their ranks. It was my wits and fearless attitude that gained me their respect and the rest is history as they say and ever since that day, I gained the loyalty of the Islanders.

After bringing the Islanders into the fold, my place as been on the Stone Island for the last seven years. At the age of twenty-four I’m the liege lord of the Stone Islands and so will be my sons if I ever have any one day.  

Since being a commander in the navy, I’ve had no other sailors under me than the Islanders. I trust no others to do the job that's needed on my ships other than the Islanders but with these peaceful times the navy hasn’t been very busy and all we had for some time was simple merchant sailing and believe me when I say that the Islanders are not very fond of such things.

After many years of being forced to lay down their spears and to dock their boats after the death of their former liege lord due to a failed coup fifty years ago. I must say the long dormant fire that resided deep inside of them quickly sparked when I gave out my orders to them about my intentions. I sure did not have any problems into receiving volunteers for this task.

The Islanders might not care for the crown. They might not care for the king but they’ll never turn away from a fight or their liege lord and that’s all I need to know. They have a goal and something to be motivated about. I’ve given them a goal and I know that they won’t fail me. They are my people now and I have the uttermost faith that we'll succeed in our duty. We will retrieve the prince from his captors even if it’s the last thing we do. We will succeed or we will die trying but I have no intentions of dying just yet.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 3.5**

**Ginoza**

Starring at these walls, I still can’t believe just how much gold and gems that are stuck onto them. I’ve never seen these things unrefined before. All I’ve ever seen were already purified gold turned into various jewelry and cut gems of various sizes and seeing them like this is just beautiful. I just don’t understand how they can glitter like they do inside of this dim light cave. No matter where I look. I can’t see an opening to allow sunlight to enter and the weirdest thing is that it’s so warm in here. So weird…

The sound of disturbing water catches my attention and not long afterwards I see Kougami climb up the cave floor.

“You must be hungry. I brought you something.” He tells me as he drops a few dead fish onto the cavern floor.

He seems rather proud of himself for presenting me with a few fish that he probably caught himself and quite frankly I don’t even want to know how he managed to do that. I know that he means well and all but I can’t bring myself to be excited of his gesture of kindness.

“Fish…” I mutter as I stare at it for a few minutes before shifting my gaze onto Kougami.

“It might be hard to believe but we eat fish too.” Kougami states.

He didn’t really need to tell me that. I mean, I kind of figured that he must eat something and I seriously doubt it that his kind would be solemnly eating things like seaweed or other kinds of odd things that I probably don’t know about.

“It’s raw fish.” I say.

“Raw fish? Is there another kind of fish that you would prefer?” He asks as if he’s confused about what it is that I just told him.

I have to be honest. Other than the stories that I’ve heard here and there from sailors returning from a voyage. I don’t know much about mermans and mermaids. I don’t know if they have a unique culture to them. I don’t know what they eat, if they drink nor do I even know how they populate their species. I don’t know anything but I can assume that they probably don’t know anything about cooking food. I seriously doubt it that they’ve experienced fire first hand.

“Kougami, raw means it’s uncooked.” I tell him as I casually join him and sit down. “Humans don’t eat raw fish; they cook it in a stove or over a fire before eating it.”

“Of course humans eat raw fish.” He shoots back as he starts cutting the fish open with a sharp stone like it’s nothing.

“No they don’t. Eating raw fish can make us sick.” I further tell him as I watch him clear out the fish of its internal organs and I have to control the ever growing nausea and the bile that seems to want to come up my throat.

“Is that what you’ve been told?” He asks after throwing the organs into the water and dips the cut open fish into the water to rinse it off of any organ debris it may still have. “There’s a land that’s pretty far from here. The humans that live there have a much different appearance from the humans that live around here but they eat raw fish all the time. They serve it so fancily though.” He tells me as he starts cutting off the skin and carefully picking at it to remove fishbones from the meat.

“I never left the capital. I don’t even know my whole country; I only know the land that surrounds the capital.” I admit.

The furthest I’ve ever been from home was the king’s wood and most of my days was spent inside the castle walls where I studied the art of swordsmanship and other boring studies. 

My father never liked the idea of letting me ride outside of the city and the only way that he would allow me to go was if I had knights to escort me at all times but that didn’t do me any good…

“Sounds like your father kept you isolated from the outside world.” Kougami voices out as he tosses the fish bones and skin into the water behind him and they sink down into the abyss.

“He has. Ever since my mother died when I was young…” I tell him.

It feels like it was so long ago. I can barely remember about the event. 

I was only six when my mother came down with a sudden illness. I remember that I was taken away to another part of the castle in case whatever she had caught might have been contagious. The last time I had seen my mother was when she had collapsed onto the floor. I was quickly taken away by my mother's handmaidens and I never saw her again.

After my mother died, I wasn’t allowed to see her body. I wasn’t able to attend her funeral due to the maester saying that it would have negative effects on me. But either way, it had a negative effect on me. My mother died and all I had left was my father. He never remarried even though countless proposals had been offered to him. He never accepted any of them… 

“You’re his only living child then?” Kougami further asks taking me out of my thoughts.

“I am…” I answer.

It’s one of the main reasons why many on the council urged my father to remarry because if I would have suddenly fallen ill. My father would no longer have any heir and his line would be broken. He didn’t listen to their advice though and continued refusing proposals after proposals and maybe it was for the best but deep down. Maybe having a step mother and siblings wouldn’t have been so bad. I was lonely…

“How did your mother die?” Kougami asks, dragging me out of my thoughts again.

“She suddenly became ill and the maester tried everything that he could to save her but in the end she died anyway.” I briefly tell him as I try to ignore as he cuts open the other fish and empties it just like the previous one.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He says. Dipping the fish into the water and starts skinning it and cuts out a large chunk of meat and inspects it carefully for any small bones that it may have before holding it out for me to take. “Here, you must eat.”

I can’t help but look at the rosy meat in disgust but I take it anyway between my fingers. It’s slimy and it doesn’t resemble how it would look if it was cooked and I honestly don’t know what kind of people that Kougami has seen who eats raw fish but I’m glad I don’t live there.

I quickly glance towards Kougami and then back at the piece of fish meat. He’s waiting for me to eat it and I can’t say that I don’t like it until I’ve tried it. The thing is that I don’t want to eat it but I’ve got to since it would be rude of me on my part to refuse his generosity.  

I take a deep breath and quickly pop the piece into my mouth. Quickly regretting it as the texture isn’t what I was expecting at all. The taste is soft but the texture itself isn’t something that I would want to eat everyday as I force myself to swallow.

“That bad huh…? I’m afraid that’s all I can bring you that won’t get spoiled by the water.” Kougami voices out unable to hold in a soft chuckle.

Raw fish…

It tastes okay so why must the texture be so disgusting? Kougami probably doesn’t care either way and he sure looks like he’s enjoying himself by my own expenses much to my dismay.

“I need to go home.” I mutter.

I don’t know how much time has passed since I disappeared. My father must already be aware that something has happened to me by now but I’m nowhere to be found. My father’s men will search for me but they will find nothing and before long. False rumors of my whereabouts will start spreading and such things is enough to spark a war and send the country into chaos.

“Home you say. Let me ask you one thing. What is home when you can’t trust a single person that surrounds you?” He asks, his gaze locked onto me waiting for my response with eagerness.

“Once I’m home, I’ll be safe.” I quickly say. 

Once I’m back home with my father, things will be different. It will be easier to deal with the problem at hand after I tell him exactly what happened and what I overheard my captors talking about. About what they were planning on doing with me.

“Will you?” He asks and continues, “Your mother suddenly became ill and died. I’ve seen it many times before. Humans sneaking deadly substances into another human’s drink or food to cause them harm. It’s not uncommon.”

“I’ll be fine-”

“You won’t!” He harshly cuts me off causing me to slightly jump at the sudden rise of his tone. “You say that you’ll be fine but deep down you know that you’re surrounded by others who would love to cause you harm because of what you are and going back there would be like deliberately entering the jaws of a predator.” He further tells me without lowering his voice, but it feels more like he’s lecturing me.

“Then what would you have me do? Stay inside this cave until I die?” I ask, not really caring for an answer.

Kougami claims that he brought me here in order to protect me. That he doesn’t want me to leave because he says that there are people who still wants to hurt me and he’s right. There are people who want to hurt me but it’s not just me. They want to hurt my father, they want to control my people and own my country.

“You could leave all of this behind and come with me.” Kougami tells me, his tone back calm and soft. His expression serious as he said each word, never removing his gaze from me.

Go with him? What does that even mean?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Kougami**

“You could leave all of this behind and come with me.” I tell him, the words just spilling out ever so naturally.

This human is innocent, there’s no doubt about it. He doesn’t have a corrupted heart, his is pure as water and I would do anything to keep it as such. He doesn’t deserve to feel all of this pain due to others greed and jealousy. He doesn't need to fear for his life and by whom it might end to. Ginoza deserves nothing more than a happy and peaceful life and I want to give him that since I have the power to do so.

“What are you talking about?” He asks, confused at what I just told him about what he should do.

“Leave all of this nonsense, all of this pain behind. Come with me, live under the vast ocean in peace.” I explain.

“I will not abandon my people.” He quickly barks back much to my dismay.

It's truly remarkable. His determination on fulfilling his duties towards is people is just simply amazing. Many nobles of his age that I've seen can't even come close to half of what Ginoza is. 

All I've seen of noble humans are those who behave poorly towards the common folk. They couldn't care less about what happens to the poor and for that. I have a great amount of respect for Ginoza but he needs to be realistic here. I know he feels like he has an obligation to serve his people to the fullest of his powers but he is so naive. With everything that's happened to him, he should know that all of his attempts will be for nothing.

“Your people want to hurt you!” I state. Remembering those humans that I saw last night on the beach shore. Those men will never stop hunting Ginoza. They won’t stop until they succeed into getting what it is that they want and as long as those humans are alive and well, Ginoza will never be safe. I just don’t understand why he can’t see that like I can. “Why would you want to stay for such people?” I ask.

“Because not everyone are bad people.” He replies.

Ginoza is the proof that there are good people left in this world but I’ve seen too few decent loving human beings. All the good ones end up suffering because of the bad ones. 

How many times have I seen a large mass of humans burn some of their females? How many times have I seen males be hang until they no longer can breathe? Too many times and in the end it was always the innocent that ended up being killed for nothing.

“I’ve lived through many centuries. I’ve seen more than you ever could in a single lifetime and I’ve seen more cruelty from humans than decent behavior.” I tell him.

I’ve seen the rise and fall of countless empires that were said that they would never fall but they did none the less and its people slaughtered to the last child and have long since been forgotten as myths. Even this country that Ginoza calls his home was once separated, divided into different groups of people. Each part were once ruled by a different human until one started to expand their territory little by little until every foe was defeated and the country is now what it is today.

A hundred years ago. I saw a massive city get devoured by the ocean waves in an instant and to this very day it still remains completely submerged under the vast sea. It was truly a sad and terrifying day. Those humans had been friends and allies towards my people for many centuries. We lived together in perfect harmony and no one lived in fear in the great water city of Atlantica. Those humans were fair, graceful, beautiful and kind. Maybe, it may be why I’m so attracted to Ginoza. He reminds me so much of them, so much that it’s kind of frightening.

I will never be able to forget that night, even if I tried I could never forget it. The sea was violent, more than usual and the waves kept on getting higher and higher until the water suddenly resided for a few minutes until one large wave came crashing down onto the massive city. The wave washed away everything, female, male and child into the ocean.

So many deaths in an instant. None knew what had happened until the waves violently washed them away and what haunts me to this day was that we couldn’t save a single life. The ocean was much too violent and any human that we did manage to get our hands on we lost them back.

I can still hear their screams and cries like it was yesterday. The memories still ever so vibrant deep within my mind. It was a terrible tragedy that we just couldn’t prevent. We tried but we failed and ever since that day. Humans started haunting my people down for sport as if it is our punishment for failing our only friends and allies…

“I’ve never seen a merman before until I met you. I was told countless stories about them from returning sailors. About how mermans and mermaids drag humans down into the abyss of the ocean to their deaths never to be seen again.” Ginoza numbly tells me, catching my attention.

What the hell is he talking about!? Dragging humans down into the depths of the ocean to their deaths!? That’s completely absurd, crazy, and unimaginable! Is that the reason why Ginoza was afraid when he first met me? How many more lies are being spread about my people I wonder? This is just terrible, no it is beyond terrible.

“We’ve done no such things.” I tell him firmly.

“Countless men and women who departed onto the open sea have disappeared over the years and their bodies have never been found and some claim to have witness their comrades being dragged into the water.” He further tells me.

I can tell that what Ginoza is telling me, he believes it to be true; he’s not making any of this up. I know for a fact that Ginoza isn’t a liar and he wouldn’t try to make up stories in order to justify his reasons for being distant towards someone. He's the kind who is straight forward and he wouldn’t shy away to say what is on his mind but he’s also the kind of human who expects to be treated the same way in return. He expects that others will tell him the truth and nothing but the truth and for that. Ginoza is naive because he fails to realize that he's surrounded by liars.

Humans are known for their dishonesty and shadiness towards their brethrens in order to get an upper hand on them and it is quite a rarity to find humans who are fair and kind. Humans like Ginoza are extremely rare and for so long I believed that there were no longer any anymore. 

After the people of Atlantica tragically perished into the sea. I honestly believed that it was the end of all good humans in this world but I found Ginoza and he gives me faith that maybe there are more just like him. But, he’s too naive, too innocent and because of that he needs to be protected at all cost.

“We are the ones who are constantly being hunted by humans and yet we constantly save their lives when they fall overboard their large wooden vessels due to their drunken state. Or, we do on purpose to show our face, endangering ourselves in the process in order to guide them away from an upcoming storm when we could easily let them sail right into it to their death but we don’t.” I tell him and add, “We don’t kill humans; they’re the ones who kill us for nothing more than for the glory of it.”

I don’t know how many years Ginoza has been lied to by other humans. I can understand if he wants to believe his kind over my words but he can’t deny that I saved his life when he deliberately jumped into the ocean last night. He can’t deny that I didn’t try to drag him down to the bottom of the ocean to his death. Instead, I brought him back up to the surface.

“Then what happens to those who disappear?” He asks.

“They were asked the same thing that I asked you.” I answer as I extend a hand towards him before adding, “Come with me.”

He silently stares at my hand but his mind would probably be very loud right now if I could hear it. He’s thinking about my words and when he slightly backs away from me. I know that he’s finally figured it out but I wish he hadn’t backed away because that only means that he won’t be coming with me.

“I have to go home.” He mutters, bringing his knees closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

“Ginoza-”

“Leave me alone!” He shouts back as he buries his face into his knees and I hesitate about leaving him alone but I do and I submerge myself under the water for a swim in order to give Ginoza some much needed space. 

I know it can't be easy being in his position and I hope that this brief alone time will be enough to allow him to think over my offer. The easiest decision that Ginoza could make. The most logical choice that he could do would be to leave all of this madness behind. To go far away from all of this and I can give him that. But in order to give him this peace and serenity, he needs to abandon everything that he once knew. He must abandon his life as a human and if he does come to decide that, I can make him one of us. He won’t be a pure blood like me but he’ll be one of us all the same and I’ll make sure that he never has to feel sadness or pain ever again…

Humans, offering them to abandon their lives on the surface to live under the ocean is nothing new. It happens all the time but to be honest. They are always some poor human who really just doesn’t have anything to lose. They have no wealth or a chance to be anything more than a peasant so making the choice of leaving everything behind isn’t much of a problem for them.

Ginoza on the other hand is completely different…

He’s a prince…

Ginoza might not have had such a happy childhood since his mother died when he was so young and due to that he was completely isolated from the outside world by his father. But in general, Ginoza has always had a comfortable life since he was born. He's never had to worry if he would eat today or had to scratch his head about what he could wear for the next few days. He's always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, never having to do anything for them.

Ginoza has never known anything else other than comfort. The thing is that he’s probably never had to do anything his entire life. It doesn’t matter what it is, there’s always someone to do everything for him. So when it comes to being on his own, it must really scare him because deep down. Ginoza doesn’t know anything other than being a prince. He was brought up to be the perfect prince, he's been raised to one day take his father's place. Nothing else is expected of him. All he's expected to do is to smile at his people and behave properly and that's a sad thing.

Ginoza is a kind human. He’s gentle, caring and sweet but he’s so naive and just too innocent for this dark world but it's not his fault. I solemnly blame his father for isolating his son for so long like he did. 

I understand the king loves his son but he's smothering his child without even realizing it and that's not good. Because of that, I fear that the world on the surface will tear Ginoza apart and nothing will be left of him. His gentleness, his kindness and sweetness will be stripped away from him and he’ll no longer be this kind human that I've come to know.

I want to save Ginoza and my greatest fear is that he won’t allow me to save him from this dark world. He’s so focused that he has to be there for his people and I understand that. I really do because I would do anything for mine but the huge difference between us is that my people won’t brutalize me. They won’t betray me with treachery and they won’t stab me in the back either once I’m no longer looking.

Even though Ginoza knows that his people are dangerous and that he doesn’t know who he can and can’t trust. He still has faith in them. He still strongly believes that there are good people. That those who would want to cause him harm are only a few and not many but I seriously doubt it that’s the case.

If Ginoza had accepted my offer to become one of us. We’d be swimming together right now but instead I’m on my own in this endless clear blue and I wonder how Ginoza would look like as one of us. I wonder what colour would be the scales of his tail. Would it be the colour of his eyes just like mine is or would it be another colour all entirely? Would his tail be long and elegant or would it be short and delicate?

I do know one thing for sure; Ginoza would definitely look beautiful as one of us. He already looks beautiful and graceful as it is right now and I know he would become even more beautiful. He’d definitely steal the title as the most beautiful under the sea, that’s without a doubt…

A sharp pain suddenly jolts me out of my thoughts as I feel something violently pull me backwards by the tail which further sends jolts of pain throughout my body. The more I struggle, the pain keeps on getting worse until I found myself entangled within a bunch of ropes until I can no longer move no matter how hard I try. But, it didn’t take long until I hit the surface only to come face to face with a few humans and in that moment I know that I'm in trouble.

“Will you look at that. I hit the jackpot boys!” I hear a loud voice say in the distance followed by a loud ruckus of cheering and laughter as I'm being pulled towards the dock.

There must have been hooks floating in the water and I swam right into them without noticing the damn things and my tail must have gotten caught by a few. How could I have been so careless? I should have kept my guard up but I didn’t and now I’m in real trouble but I don’t care what happens to me. Ginoza is still in that cave, I can’t abandon him.

“It’s not a female but how much do you think a male’s tail is worth?” I hear the same voice ask. Forcing me to struggle in order to try and free myself which only resulted in more laughter from the small crowd on the dock and more pain onto myself in the process.

Damn humans! 

They just love to watch anything struggle and claw as they try to survive. Everything is a damn game to them and if they think they can cut off my tail so easily without a fight. They’ll have another thing coming. I’ve never harmed a human before but today is the day I’ll make my first and if I must I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them all.

“The value goes by their colours and this one is quite a common colour I’m afraid.” I hear another voice answer followed by slow and steady footsteps on the dock catching the fisherman's attention in the process.

“Who the hell are you!?” A cocky greasy looking boy quickly asks only to get a sharp slap in the back of the head by an older man.

“Fucking idiot! He’s the Stone Commander, the liege lord of the Stone Islands.” The older man answers and I recognize the voice as the one who had dared ask how much my tail could be worth.

I struggled some more which only resulted in receiving more pain but it was worth it since now I can see this so called commander that seems to know what my people’s tails are worth and he’s not exactly what I had expected. By the tone of his voice, I was expecting some middle aged human but he's not. Instead, he’s young. Younger than what I would have given him by the sound of his voice but his clothing doesn’t impress me in the slightest.

This man is a commander and a liege lord? A liege lord is some high born human and yet this human, this man is dressed in clothes that I usually see peasant humans wear. They are worn and rather tattered, he doesn’t look like Ginoza at all. I know that Ginoza holds a much higher position on the social ladder but a liege lord should look somewhat similar to a prince.

More footsteps catch my attention as more men poorly dressed in the similar fashion as the commander gather around him so I’ll be assuming that they must be his men and that confuses me even more. I've never seen a liege lord dress exactly the same as their men. You can always tell their high borns apart by how they are dressed and if the older man hadn't said anything. I wouldn't have been able to guess who was the leader.   

“My apologies m’lord.” The greasy boy nervously apologies before asking. “How much do you believe this one would be worth?”

The commander steps closer as he inspects me as I struggle against my restraints again and I could swear the more I struggle the less movements I can make much to my frustrations. If I can get myself out of this predicament. I don’t know how I’ll manage to do that but if I do, I’ll do whatever it takes to convince Ginoza to come with me. These humans are savages; I can’t let him go back to these madmen. I just can’t, he’s much better than this, he deserve better!

“Not worth enough to replace the fingers that you’ll lose I’m afraid. By the looks of this one, that’s only assuming he doesn’t bite anything else off in the process.” The commander answers and if I could, I would strangle this man. How dare he make up such lies!? It must be humans like him that filled Ginoza’s head with filthy lies about my people just like he’s doing right now. “If he had an iridescent coloured tail then that would be a whole different kind of story.” He adds and that's pure bullshit! Who does this human think that he is!? Iridescent coloured tail? That’s something that doesn’t exist, none of my people has ever had such a colour, it’s pure lies!

The shape and length of our tails differs from individual to individual but the colour itself doesn’t vary much. You’ll either see blue, green, red, pink, golden… Basically every colour of corals that you can find at the bottom of coral reefs are colours of our tails since corals grow from our tails once we die. Coral reefs are our graveyards, it’s our resting place.

“I have no care for the colour but I am in need of a sacrifice to calm the great ocean god. I’ll give you an hefty three hundred silvers for your troubles.” The commander says as he holds out a small brown pouch and I just can’t help but stare at the man in disbelief.

Ocean god…? He just wants an excuse to justify his reason for killing me. There is no Ocean god in this world, a sacrifice won’t keep you safe or make your voyage on the sea any better. It’s just plain murder.

“A fair trade m’lord.” The older man responds taking the small brown pouch and a large human takes hold of the ropes that is keeping me restrained as he pulls me away towards a much larger wooden vessel followed by the damn commander.

“Fucking-”

“Keep it for another time Dormer.” The commander calmly cuts off the large human that's holding onto my restraints as he watches the bastards who caught me in their shit sail away into their vessel towards the open sea.

My day really just keeps on getting better and better…

It started good though. I mean, I met Ginoza and I had him to myself for quite some time but now I’m surely in one sticky situation and quite frankly. I have no idea how I’m going to get myself out of this one. I guess I can always try this so call biting strength that the commander claims that I have. Who knows, maybe I have a dormant strength to bite off a few fingers that I don't know anything about…

The large human pulls me completely out of the water and lays me down onto the wooden dock much to my dismay as I struggle to free myself again and maybe if I struggle enough I’ll somehow manage to get back into the water and yet I know it’s useless to even try and yet I can't help myself. I need to break free!

“Allow me my lord.” I hear a man say as another starts pouring water on my body which only confuses me. What is going on here?

My instinct quickly kicks in as I struggle again, a bit more this time only to get held down by the commander himself.

“Easy, easy…” The commander quietly says as he inspects me from head to toe. “I only need you to keep him still for me Kane. That will be all.” He adds as he pulls out a knife and starts cutting at the ropes one by one instead of cutting my heart out or slit my throat and have my blood spill out all over this dock.

One human keeps on coating me with salted water from the sea, making sure I don't get dry as the commander keeps on cutting the ropes all the while being careful not to cut me in the process and after a while. I simply stopped trying to move which allowed the human to get rid of the ropes that were keeping me restraint much faster and then he turned his attention towards the hooks that were still stuck in my tail.

Having my arms free once again feels great but I would feel better once these humans lets go of me. All I want to do is return back into the sea and get back to Ginoza as fast as I can. I honestly don’t know how much time has passed already. I just know that I’ve been gone for much too long already but I appreciate that this human is going through the trouble in removing those damn hooks. But, I must say that pulling each hook out of my tail wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. With each pull, it stung but the commander managed to get every single one out of my tail slowly in order to prevent further injuries.

“This will sting quite a bit.” The commander suddenly says and just as he finished speaking those words. I feel the humans who have been holding me up until now tighten their grip on my arms just as their commander started pouring a clear liquid where the hooks had been on my tail. I wince as the liquid touches each cut but the burning sensation doesn’t last for very long until it goes away completely and I no longer feel any sort of pain.

I don’t understand why this man would be tending to my injuries. I strongly believed that he would have killed me. After all, he paid the ones who had caught me in their trap. He admitted his desire to sacrifice me to his so called make believed ocean god. And yet, instead of doing that, his sole interest has been to first free me from that entrapment and then proceeded to care to the wounds they had caused.

I cautiously watch the young man apply a brown paste on each cut until he was done and then I feel myself being lifted from the wooden dock and the next thing I know I got dropped back into the water and I’m not sure why I resurfaced when I should have quickly retreated back into the depths of the ocean but I did.

“You might want to stay away from the shallow waters for the next few days. Now get out of here.” The commander tells me as he puts his knife away.

This man resembles like a savage human by how he is dressed. They all do. They don’t resemble Ginoza at all. Their clothes are tattered and filthy but their appearance does not match their behavior at all and I think I might understand what exactly happened back there. Everything he had said was a pure lie in order to obtain me without causing a fight with the fishermen. His sole intention had been to simply tend to my injuries and to allow me to go free afterwards. He never had any intentions of killing me from the very beginning.

Although each of these humans are dressed in poor clothing. Each one are wearing the exact same metal plate on their chest over their tattered clothes with the same symbol engraved on it. The head of a female wearing a crown with her eyes closed behind two axes of different shape. I wonder if I would describe this to Ginoza, if he’d be able to recognize it. Because if he could, would these people be a safe haven to him?

I submerge myself into the water, not looking back as I speed up into a rapid swim back towards the cave. Hoping that Ginoza hasn’t been too worried by my absence even though I’m not exactly sure how long I’ve been gone but it’s been much too long in my opinion.

“Ginoza!” I shout as I surface, wasting little time to climb onto the edge of the cave floor only to see nothing. “Ginoza?” I call back to him again as I look around but nothing. The cave is empty and all I can hear is the constant dripping echoing throughout the cave in a gentle echo but Ginoza is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Sugo**

That sure is something that you don’t see every day but it does feel good seeing Merpeople once in a while. It serves to prove to us that the ocean is in fact still alive and doing well. Maybe after seeing a healthy looking merman, perhaps it’s a foreshadowing of good luck and we’ll be able to find the prince unharmed and well.

I couldn’t afford to waste any time this morning. Making our way out onto open sea was a priority but after hearing that man ask about how much a merman’s tail could be worth. I just couldn’t let it slide. I had to step in and end this madness before it was too late and my people would not have stood still either. If I would have done nothing, they would have and it surely would have ended with all five fishermen dead.

No one may disrespect Merpeople in the presence of the Islanders. It is a harsh crime to do such a thing and to take the life of Merpeople would be enough to call for an immediate execution. To the Islanders, the Merpeople are sacred beings of the sea. They are the very heart of the ocean and you do not harm a sacred being no matter what.

Shedding off three hundred silvers to those fishermen was basically a free trade. They could easily have gotten quite a large amount of gold if they had spoken to the right trader. 

That merman would have been transported out of the country to be showcased in public in another country. Frankly, that would have been much too cruel and disrespectful to have a merman trapped within a man made pool.

Slavery is prohibited in this country and the mutilation of the Merpeople is against the law decreed by the current king at the beginning of his reign as a wedding gift to his new queen. But once you’re out on the sea, there are not many witnesses to turn you in to the crown for your crimes if you speared a few Merpeople. Most fishermen would never rat each other out but as long as I can, I will never stand and watch one get killed. 

I am the liege lord of the Stone Islands and that means that I am the warden of the sea. What happens on the surface of these waters is my business and my laws will be obeyed or there will be no mercy. I won't hesitate to mount a few heads on a spike to decorate the Pykes as a warning to all sailors who would dare to enter my waters.

Putting all the madness of this morning behind me, the sea is quite calm and clear today. I couldn’t ask for better weather and the wind is just right. We’ll be able to do good tides today but the sea is empty and all I do manage to spot are nothing more than fishermen’s boat. But, from what I can see, they seem to be having a good day themselves which is good. With this ever growing chaos, the last thing we need is a famine on our hands.

Anyway, if the weather keeps up like this, we’ll be docking in Donau before sunset. I don’t just speak for myself when I say this but being able to dock into port before nightfall would be a very good thing. Sailing onto open waters at night is no easy task and it’s hard on the men. You can’t leave a ship unattended when you’re out on open waters. You never know when the weather might turn sour and when you’re out on the open sea, it often turns sour rather quickly and I need my men in fighting shape. A sleepless night wouldn't do me much good.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 5.5**

**Kougami**

This can’t be happening. Where could Ginoza have gone? It’s impossible that someone found him inside of that cave even if Ginoza would have screamed for help. The only explanation for his disappearance is that he must have left himself.

Ginoza…

You’re such a fool…

The Stone Commander warned me to stay away from any shallow waters for the next few days and I can understand why. It looks like fishing season has come on early this year and that means the shallow waters are going to be lurking with dangerous things but I have to search for Ginoza. I have to find him and fast before any harm can come to him but where could he have gone?

I didn’t think that Ginoza would have attempted to leave the cave all by himself. I’m certain that he was probably able to reach the surface by himself without any problem since I know he can float. He can swim better than most humans that I’ve seen but still. How could he be so reckless? He knows exactly how dangerous it is out here and I seriously doubt it that he got worried and came out searching for me.

“The humans are quite agitated today aren’t they?”

I look over my shoulder only to find that it’s Tsunemori. That woman always seems to be able to find me no matter where I am. It’s almost scary how she does it. I’m convinced that she has a spy that follows me around all day because even if she doesn’t magically find me somewhere, she can always guess what I did right to the point.

“That’s why you should go back into the deep zone Tsunemori.” I tell her as I return my gaze onto the docks.

I watch the humans work on the dock. Some are fixing the dock itself and it looks like some are even working on expanding the already large dock. Others are tending to their fishing gears such as nets and other things that I'm sure as hell I would not want to be caught into while others are working on the docked ships.

Fueno is a busy port. After all, it’s the main port for the capital of this country and I don’t know why but I thought that maybe Ginoza would have come here for that very reason since it's so close to his home. But, by how everyone at the docks are minding their own business like they do every time it’s fishing season. I’m positive that Ginoza didn’t come here at all so that leaves me to wonder where did he go?

“You say that but I know you’ll do the complete opposite.” Tsunemori voices out and of course I’m going to do the opposite. I’m working on something very important and besides I’m a man and she’s a woman. She should take better care of herself, whatever shit I throw myself into I'll be fine.

“I have something important that I must do.” I say as I debate with myself if I should wander towards the capital or if I should go the other way around. I can’t guess how Ginoza would think, what would he do and when? Argh, why couldn't he just have stayed put like I told him to!?

“Please don’t tell me it’s a human Kougami.” She voices out and I know she’s staring at me with judgmental eyes but I don' turn around to confirm my suspicions I just know that she is.

Yes I have helped my fair share of humans for the last hundred years not because I have to but because I want to. Every single human I helped was done in good faith and I guess I kind of figured if I can help many humans then maybe the good word would spread about my people. That we are not heartless creatures of the sea like so many claims us to be. We are not killers and we don’t drag humans down into the sea to their deaths just like Ginoza has been told over and over again. I want some good things to be said about us but so far everything that I’ve done seems to have been for nothing.

“It’s a human.” I admit as I swim away but doing so in a careful manner. The last thing that I want is to be seen by the wrong human.

“Kougami if we haven’t been told countless times to stay away from them-”

“We haven’t been told once, I know.” I finished Tsunemori’s sentence and add, “But this human is different and he needs help.”

I continue looking on the shore as I swim but so far I haven’t been able to see Ginoza anywhere and that worries me. I’m afraid that he might have decided to wander deeper into the country and if he gets caught again by the wrong people away from the sea. It will be problematic for me.

“Kougami sometimes humans just don’t want our help. Please don’t beat yourself up over this; you need to learn to let things go.” Tsunemori further tells me and yes she is right. Some humans don’t want to be helped and that’s okay but right now it’s not the same.

Ginoza in a way isn’t that hard to understand if you try to get to know him by simple observation since he’s easy to read. His eyes tell a story about him, he can’t hide how he feels because of them and I know he wants help. He probably knows what it is that he has to do but he’s afraid to do it. He needs help and he needs it very badly too but the thing is that he's caught between a wall. He doesn't know who he can trust and that's dangerous, more than he realizes I think.

“The situation is complicated Tsunemori. It’s not that he doesn’t want help, he’s confused and doesn’t know who he can trust.” I tell her. “This human is stuck in a conflict that has nothing to do with him. He’s just a target to some because he just happens to exist.” I add and that’s basically how it is.

Everything that Ginoza is facing right now is all because of his father, because his father is the king. He’s a target because he’s valuable and he’s the sole heir to the throne. I don't know if Ginoza even realizes just how valuable he truly is. If he ends up in the wrong hands, it could be the end of this whole country as we know it.

“And why did he-”

“Look Tsunemori. Last night I saw a human jump off a high cliff, he was lucky I was there because he would have died.” I explain as I stop swimming and turned my gaze onto her before continuing. “I took him to the glittering cave for safety but it’s obvious that he’ll never be safe up here so I made him an offer to make him one of us and I think I might have scared him.”

“How old is this human?” Tsunemori asks and that’s a good question. I know that his mother died when he was very young but he never did say how old he was. Not that he needed to, it’s obvious that he’s probably nearing nineteen.

“I’m not sure exactly…” I admit. “His father is this country’s king. I think it sums up the whole situation.” I further add and I see Tsunemori’s eyes widen at the mention of the king.

“The prince!? I’ve seen him a few times, Kougami he’s just a child!” Tsunemori tells me and yeah to us Ginoza is basically a child since we’ve lived for a few hundred years already but I wouldn’t call Ginoza a child though.

For a young human, Ginoza is very mature and that is probably due to his upbringing but he doesn't think like a child and he's much too tall for being one also. Ginoza's appearance is delicate and graceful. I guess most female humans would die to have such a male as their mate of which I can't blame them. I'd want him for myself if I could.

“I’m not even sure if the prince is sixteen yet. I know that he's fifteen at least so how could you make him such an offer?” She quickly adds and I can’t help but look at her oddly.

Ginoza is not older than sixteen?

I have to say that he doesn't look sixteen but if that’s true it means that Ginoza isn’t even old enough to take the throne yet. That means if his father was to suddenly die. Someone else would have to rule in his stead until Ginoza would come of age. 

But… 

If Ginoza is really only sixteen, he might not be old enough to rule yet. But, he is legally able to marry and if that’s the case. I think I know what his father's enemies might have in mind and if that’s the case. I need to find Ginoza and fast before it’s too late.

“I know it was stupid on my part.” I admit, I shouldn’t have been so straightforward about it like I did. I should have known that it would have scared him and it did. Ginoza fled from me because of my own stupidity and I have to make things right. “Tsunemori you have to understand where I’m coming from here. He’s innocent and naive, if we don’t do something Ginoza will get hurt because of what he is.” I tell her.

The more I think about how these humans behave towards each other, it makes me sick down to my stomach. I will never be able to understand why they would do such things to each other. 

Ginoza, if it's true that he is only sixteen and hopefully not any younger than that. How could these mature humans use a child to achieve their own selfish goals? He's a child, an innocent being who should not have to worry about anything but he does. It's insulting.

“And you thought by turning him into one of us would solve his problems?” She asks and I have to fight the urge to say yes but I know that it wouldn’t have fixed all of his problems. “We get hunted constantly too you know, we are not immune to pain of the world and he’s no different.” She adds and she’s right. Like always, Tsunemori is always right and the thing is that I didn’t think everything through when I offered him this chance to become one of us.

The thing is that yes he would feel pain from humans who hunts us but that’s only if you wander too close to the ports and docks. But, if we remain in the open sea. Well, it doesn’t happen too often and the main reason why I wanted to make Ginoza one of us is because he would never be betrayed by his new family. His new people would protect him and care for him like his people should but they don't. Ginoza shows them kindness and how does he get repaid? By treachery, that's how.

“I know…” I mutter.

“Kougami you say that the prince is in danger. Well the way I see it, we should help him but also allow him to grow into becoming his own.” Tsunemori tells me and I guess that’s something that we can do too but I can’t say that I like that option. “He’ll be king someday and if we can give the prince a good view of us, maybe our horror will end too.” Tsunemori adds and that’s a thing too.

I know that I don’t have to explain the theory that I just came up with a few minutes ago. Just from the look in Tsunemori’s eyes I know that she’s come to the same conclusion as I have but she's right. Helping Ginoza and get him to learn that my people are not the evil creatures that humans say that we are could be the break that we need.

Ginoza is without a doubt a victim and he’s surrounded by dangerous people but there has to be some humans that are loyal to his father. That would surely be a hard one to figure out because I know for a fact that there are some humans that are very good liars. Just thinking back at the commander from before. I couldn’t tell that he was lying until he started helping me. I seriously thought that he was being serious but he wasn't and all the while that he was lying he kept on a straight face. A face that the fishermen didn't even dare to object and from what I can tell. His men would follow him to the end of the world if need be.

“I got caught in a fishermen’s trap not long ago, a human saved my skin. A commander, known as the Stone Commander and apparently he’s also the liege lord of the Stone Islands wherever that is.” I tell her and I don’t know why but I just have this feeling that maybe that human could be a very reliable ally to Ginoza.

The commander is young. He’s definitely in his twenties that I'm most certain but he’s mature and honest. Well, when he isn’t lying for our sake that is but it was for a good cause and it clearly didn’t benefit him at all by helping me. I mean, he lost three hundred silvers but he didn’t care. To him it was just simple silver, he wasn't in love with it like some humans that I've seen in the past. Some would dare to trade one of their daughters for a hundred silver of which I've seen happen much to my disgust.

“You’re an idiot.” Akane suddenly blurts out.

“How am I an idiot exactly?” I ask.

“The Stone Islands are remnants of Islands around here. Their main city used to be Atlantica until it was buried under water.” Tsunemori explains and that’s basically is new to me. Well to be honest I’m guilty for being solemnly focused on the city of Atlantica. I mean the city itself was beautiful. How many times can you come across a water city, it was amazing. “The last I heard about the Stone Islands was that they had been forced to dock all of their ships. They had to remain on the islands as punishment for the failed coup by their liege lord fifty years ago.” Tsunemori further adds.

“The commander I saw was young but mature for his age.” I tell her but I can’t stop thinking about how poorly they were all dressed. Surely there must be a mistake somewhere because I remember the Atlanticans always wore clean and proper clothes. They wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing such rags.

“All the nobles on the Island had been executed for treason after the failed coup. The commander isn’t related to the former liege lord that is for certain.” Tsunemori states and that makes sense but so cruel still.

If all of this happened fifty years ago then I'll assume that the decision to have all the nobles executed back then must have been Ginoza's grandfather and for that. I have to wonder if the commander would risk his life in protecting the prince of this country considering what the crown did to the Islanders.

“The men I saw today didn’t resemble the humans in Atlantica. They wore tattered clothes but even though their clothing was terrible. They still seemed somewhat clean.” I tell her followed by a stern gaze by Tsunemori.

“Clothing should be the least of your concerns right now.” She tells me and again I have to say that she’s right but still it was really striking. She didn’t see them and I’m sure if she had, she’d probably be stuck on the mental image too. “The Islanders are known for sailing so I’ll look for their ship and you search for the prince and don’t’ try to do anything stupid.” Tsunemori adds and I have to say that I’m okay with that plan.

I’m positive that the ones that I met won’t try to hurt Tsunemori. Not after the kindness they showed me anyway and quite honestly, I prefer searching for Ginoza on my own. I feel that things might get rough pretty fast if I’m not careful but I have a feeling that things might get rough not because of my carelessness but because Ginoza might be in danger. If that happens, I’m not looking forward into doing what I’ll have to do. It’s not a pleasant experience, I’d rather have my tail impaled instead but I’ll do it if I have to.

“Yeah. Thanks.” I thank Tsunemori before she swims away and I head further away from the capital.

Ginoza is smart and I know that he must be somewhat resourceful to some extend. Even though he's been isolated his whole life. And to be honest, going straight for the capital, I don’t think it would be something that he would do. If he tries to think like the criminals that are after him. They would expect Ginoza to go straight for the capital so his best bet would be to go the opposite way but it would have to be a place where he could head home in a snitch…

Fueno is the main port of this country, it’s the largest for the capital but there’s another not too far from here. It’s not a busy port like Fueno but many ships do dock there for the night. So, it might be a good idea to check that port out and hopefully I’ll find Ginoza safe and unharmed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Ginoza**

I never thought that it was possible to be this tired. There isn’t an inch on my body that isn’t aching. Sometimes, I wonder if leaving the cave might have been a mistake on my part but it’s done now. No use fretting about what is done. Besides, the cave is long gone.

Having been isolated inside of the capital all my life. I can’t really be surprised that I'm this tired after traveling this far on foot. I’m not made for this kind of thing but I did it. I made it to where I was aiming for in one piece. Filthy though but still, I made it without attracting any trouble to myself.

If I had waited for Kougami to take me back to the surface, I know it would never have happened. He didn’t want me to go back. That was pretty obvious from the start and when he said that he could make me one of them. I just had to get away because I knew then that’s what he had wanted from the start. That's why he was keeping me in that cave and I'm sorry, I refuse to abandon my people.

The swim back to the surface didn’t take as much time as I thought it would and once I resurfaced. Much to my relief, I found myself not too far from the port of Fueno. I knew if I headed north, I could reach Donau but the road from point A to point B had taken much longer than I initially expected.

I could have gone directly to the capital though. That's what I wanted to do at first but then I started thinking. What would my captors do and fear just took over me. What if that's what they wanted me to do?

Chances are that I never would have been able to take a step inside of the keep. Who am I kidding...? I never would have made it to the front gates without having been captured.

My only option was to head north to Donau since it’s not a busy port but it still attracts many merchant sailors. I’m certain that I’ll be able to find someone that is loyal to my father there. If not, I’ll just have to head west and hope for the best that I can somehow make it to Harrenhall without being seen.

Going directly to the capital is just too dangerous right now. Especially since I don’t know who is loyal to my father and who is not and the more I think about it. I know someone orchestrated the attack in the king's wood. So, I have to go somewhere that I know my father’s enemies won’t be there and who better than my father’s bannermen.

To be honest though, I would prefer going to Harrenhall to meet lord Umber. I’ve seen him many times when I was a child. He’s my father’s oldest friend but he’s so far away and I’m not sure if I could reach the massive castle without getting myself captured. And, when I think about the distance it would take to get to my father’s other bannermen. The list keeps on shrinking fast and I'm left with only a few options to choose from.

One thing about being filthy is that no one seems to be paying much attention to me or maybe it’s just because I’m on a port and being filthy is rather common but right now it helps until I decide what it is I should do. Or maybe no one wants to come near me in fear of catching some deadly disease. From what I’ve been able to overhear, most men around here are quite superstitious of… Well everything. 

I remember learning about every settlements in Ilindor and about each noble houses that occupied them. I learned that Donau was known as the most beautiful port in the entire world but it’s not the only thing that it’s known for. Donau is called the flower city and it's the entrance to the reach if you head south. I must say that the books left out some of the details. They could have emphasized Donau’s appearance more because it is really a beautiful city and I wish I could stay longer just to admire it more.

A familiar voice catches my attention as I look towards the docked ships to find a man walking down the ramp of his ship when an idea suddenly crossed my mind. It might work. I mean, even though he’s nothing more than a captain on a merchant ship for the navy. He has seen me countless of times before so it’s worth a shot and if it works, I know exactly where to go.

“Captain Elingston, I’m in need of your assistance.” I call out catching the man’s attention in the process. His eyes suddenly widen as he quickly looked at me from head to toe. I know that I must look rather terrible but it can't be that bad, right?

“Your royal highness, you’re quite far from the capital.” He voices out but clearly that’s not exactly what he wanted to say but at least he recognized me which is good. I wish I didn’t look like a peasant that could be from the slums but I guess it just can’t be helped right now.

“Very.” I reply back before going straight to the point, “I need to go to Emerald Harbor.”

“Emerald Harbor? That’s not exactly near the capital.” He states as I feel his old greyish eyes locked onto me as if he’s judging my intentions much to my dismay.

“I know.” I admit.

“Is your father even aware about where you are?” He asks after a few minutes of awkward silence catching me a bit by surprise. 

Isn’t the captain even aware about my disappearance from the king's wood and that the men I had with me were killed? Is my father even looking for me right now?

“No…” I mutter.

“I’ve known you for many years and not once have I ever seen you be rebellious towards your father.” The captain tells me with a disapproval tone in his voice as he spoke.

I’m not being rebellious and I want to deny it but I can’t because it really doesn’t look good on my part. It’s just... I don’t know what to say. How do I even explain everything that’s happened to me since my capture in the king’s woods? If I tell him too much, will that information cause harm to the captain for knowing too much or will it come biting me back hard?

“It’s complicated.” I mutter back.

“Complicated…?” He repeats as he crosses his arms against his chest. “Feeling a sense of wanting to be adventurous now are we?” He asks.

“Not really.” I answer back as I look over my shoulder. I just can't shake off this paranoid feeling that has creeped inside of me.

On normal circumstances maybe I would have said yes. I’ve always wanted to visit my country. To go everywhere and meet my people personally and be what I was born to be. But right now, I just want to be under a roof and feel safe, surrounded by people that I know I can trust.

Maester Aemon always told me that a prince should be kind to his people. In turn when the prince becomes king, he is loved by all and his rule is a happy one with full of prosper for many years to come. I want to become a good king but as it is right now, I don’t feel like I would be a good one. There are so many things that I do not know and what I need to know can’t be learned in textbooks. I need to see it with my own two eyes. In order to have change, I need to know what it is or nothing will ever improve.

“I need to speak to lord Richmond and he’s the liege lord of Emerald Harbor.” I explain why I wish to go to Emerald Harbor and I think that it's a decent reasoning for wanting to go there.

“I have an obligation of taking you back to the Tearling your highness.” The old captain states and I just want to cringe at his reply.

I understand why he wants to take me back to the capital. If my father finds out that the captain had me and failed to bring me home, it could be trouble for him but I can’t go home. Not right now and I’m starting to think that maybe my father didn’t alert anyone about my disappearance. It's probably because he doesn’t want the people to panic. Maybe he doesn’t even know exactly who to trust which is why I must speak to lord Richmond in person. My father was never much of a fan about sending messages by carrier birds. He never trusted them with sensitive information.

“House Richmond is my father’s most trusted bannermen. They’ve always been loyal to my family from the old age and right now there is no other house that I can trust.” I explain and for the first time since meeting Captain Elingston, his expression soften much to my relief.

“I understand.” He states with a light nod of the head. “I believe that you know your way to the cabins. My ship will be docked here in Donau for the night, it be best if you didn’t wander about.” He further tells me.

“Thank you, Captain Elingston.” I thank him when something seems to have caught his eyes.

“The Dread…” He mutters with clear distaste.

“The Dread?” I ask as I turn around to see a ship sailing its way towards the docks. It’s a rather massive ship that I’ve never seen before but it has a creepy appearance to it. 

I’ve never seen a ship with black sails before. I sure would remember it if I had seen it but it sure does match the name of the ship. The Dread, it sounds like a ghost ship that I would read about in books when I was young. I never thought that something that looks so ominous actually exists. The ship itself looks to be in great shape though and of great quality too but everything else about it just creeps me out.

“The Stone Islanders, a group of barbarians if you ask me. Not a flock you’d want to be near your royal highness. It looks like they’ll be docking here too for the night so off you go to the ship.” The captain tells me and I don’t try to argue with him and instead I climb the ramp onto Captain Elingston’s ship as I hear roaring of voices in the distance as the ship called the Dread keeps on getting closer to port.

**XXX**

* * *

**XXX**

All thanks to the captain, I was finally able to get myself cleaned up. Getting all of that mud off of me and out of my hair took longer than I had expected but it’s finally done and now, I have some clean and dry clothes to put on. I never thought that clean clothes could ever feel so good even if they are a little too big for me…

I lost track of time inside of that cave. It felt like many hours had passed. Maybe even days had gone by while I was in there but in reality I’ve only been missing for a little over a twenty four hour period which is comforting a little but still. I’ve been away for far too long, I long for home.

Loud roaring laughters drags me out of my thoughts as I step closer towards a small window of the cabin. I look through the small window only to see that the docks are packed with people. 

Ever since the Islanders docked into port, there hasn’t been a single minute of silence. You’d think they’ve never been to shore before by the way that they are behaving. Like tonight will be the last night they will have in this world before they die or something.

I step away from the window and exit the cabin even though I was told not to. I don’t know why I wandered off the ship when I know deep down that it’s a bad idea and yet I still do it.

Everyone on the docks all seem to be enjoying themselves even though the presence of the Islanders is clearly visible. None seem to mind though. The citizens of Donau sure don’t so I guess that it’s okay and yet these people seem to be run downs. I mean, they are dressed very poorly all in black except for the small breast plate that is made out of brass that has their sigil inscribed on it.

I navigate through the crowd when I feel something knock into me from behind. The sudden impact causes me to lose my balance and as I'm falling face first towards the edge of the dock. I feel something grab onto my arm, pulling me backwards only to come face to face with a giant of a man. 

He's wearing the Islanders' style of clothing and sigil. If his tattered clothing wasn't scary enough, his appearance makes it worse. His face bares a pretty nasty scar on the right side with messy brown hair and a short beard. 

In all my life I’ve never seen such a large man before other than lord Umber. Even the sword that’s secured in its hilt is the largest I’ve ever seen. But, it's the look in his eyes that scares me the most. I quickly look away as if I'm hoping that I'll be able to escape his gaze somehow.

“Pardon me.” I mutter but I can’t bring myself to look him in the eyes as I spoke.

“Did I frighten you little bird?” He asks, his voice deep and somewhat stern that matches very well for his size.

“No…” I mutter back as I keep my gaze down.

“You’re not a very good liar are you boy?” He inquires more and I feel my stomach drop and all that keeps going through my head is that I need to return to the Grace. I shouldn’t have gotten off the ship and I need to go back or this man is going to kill me.

“Does it please you to scare people?” I ask and I’m not sure why I did, the words just slipped out of my mouth without thinking.

“It pleases me to kill people.” He replies grabbing my arm, bringing me slightly closer towards him.

I can feel myself starting to shake, he knows that I’m afraid and he loves it. It’s like he feeds off fear and I believe him that he loves killing people, I can see it in his eyes. He must have killed hundreds of people with that giant sword of his. I just don’t want to be another body count on his long list.

“Dormer, quit torturing the lad.”

The large man Dormer releases the hold of my arm as another approached. He's another Islander but he’s shorter than Dormer and yet still taller than I am. But, this one seems cleaner looking even though his clothing is somewhat tattered just like the rest. His hair isn’t messy like the giant next to him and is face is rather clean with a gentler appearance than his comrade.

“Pardon me, I must be going-”

“Look at me boy!” The man quickly cuts me off and I slightly look up to meet his gaze. “Dormer here is a killer. The Buckinghams are killers. The king is a killer. Your father is a killer. Your sons will be killers someday following your footsteps. The world is built by killers... so you better get used to looking at them. ” He tells me with a gentle and yet stern tone.

Dormer, I agree must be a killer. He’s obviously aggressive and that sword isn’t for decoration I’m sure. The Buckinghams, the family who rules this region are unknowns to me but they did chosed to bend the knee to my great grandfather many years ago. So, I don’t know if they have taken lives but I know that my father isn’t a killer. He’s never murdered anyone!

As much as these men scare me, the only comfort that I have is that they don’t know who I am since the other man mentioned the king and then my father so he hasn’t made the connection but he’s wrong. I will never be a killer; I will never take another person’s life. I’m better than that and any sons that I do eventually have in the future, I will teach them to be better men. Violence doesn’t solve anything.

“What is a frighten little bird doing wandering on its own? Where are you heading?” Dormer suddenly asks, his gaze onto me like a hawk as if he’s trying to pierce through me with his eyes.

My eyes shift from Dormer to his comrade and back to Dormer but I don’t know what to say. How do I answer such a question without making myself suspicious to them? If I refuse to answer it might turn bad for me but if I do answer them, are they going to follow me and ruin everything?

“My father told me but I don’t remember.” I choose to answer, hoping that it will be enough to convince them and I’ll be allowed to return to the Grace.

“Do you take me for a fool, boy?” Dormer barks back, his tone louder than before and adds, “I’m going to ask you again. Where is a little bird such as yourself going?”

“Emerald Harbor…” I mutter, praying that I won't regret it later.

“Emerald Harbor is no place for a boy like yourself.” The other man responds.

Emerald Harbor is the fourth largest city in this kingdom. Anyone who wants to build a life for themselves, Emerald Harbor is the place to go for it. Especially since it’s known for its commerce and easy accessibility. Not to mention that the liege lord assures a smooth commerce for every merchant. Lord Richmond is a fair ruler and he’s loved by many, anyone is safe in Emerald Harbor.

“Lord Richmond is the liege lord of Emerald Harbor. House Richmond is one of the King’s most loyal bannermen.” I voice out and I’m not even sure why I did. I mean, just by the looks that both men are giving me; they don’t care or even believe much of my words to begin with.

“The Richcunt-”

“You seem like a good lad, don’t go giving your father trouble. Stay on the boat until your father finishes his business there.” The other man calmly cuts off his comrade as he slowly leads me away from the giant and back towards the merchant ships. “A pretty thing like yourself, you wouldn’t want to be giving none some ideas. Run along.” He calmly adds and I back away slowly and climb back onto the ramp and back into the ship. 

I look back only to see the man who had guided me back to the ships walked away once I was on the Grace as if he was making sure that I got on board safely which is odd.

I let out a relieving sigh as I make my way towards the cabins when I feel my heart sink again as I meet old greyish eyes locked onto me. He doesn’t have to say anything, I know what he's thinking and I was wrong. I disobeyed the captain’s orders. I left the cabin when he told me not to and I'm lucky that nothing bad happened to me tonight. I was wrong, I should have stayed put.

“I’m sorry.” I apologize as I enter the cabin. Gently shutting the door behind me but the old man doesn’t seem angry towards me. More like he's relieved instead.

“I understand the curiosity of a young heart, your highness.” He says, giving me a soft smile.

I never met my grandfather, he died before I was born but I always wondered how it was like to have one. All the kids of lords who happen to come visit my father all had grandfathers. They all had stories to tell but I never had anything great to say and yet it didn’t matter because I was the son of the king. I could have done whatever I wanted and it was okay because I was the prince but in the end no one ever listened to what I had to say. All would simply agree with me because of who I was, even if I was wrong…

“Where are they going?” I ask as I walk over to the small window, starring at the massive ship that belongs to the Islanders.

The large black sails have been folded in for the night but the ship itself is still a massive thing at the docks. It's the biggest ship here but the craftsmanship is the best I've ever seen though. The wooden carvings on the bow of the ship is remarkable and I wonder what would Kougami say if he would see it. The carving of a mermaid holding up a large pearl in her hands... I wonder if he would make a comment on that or if he would ignore it completely. 

“The Iron Wall it would seem.” The captain answers.

I’m not exactly sure why they’re going there; there is nothing at the Iron Wall. It’s nothing but a massive fort that separates our borders but I guess it must be part of their job. I mean, even though for so many years the Islanders were forced to remain on their islands. They were still the warden of the sea and I’m not exactly sure why.

Seven years ago, the Islanders received a new liege lord and apparently they bended the knee to my father. In return, my father gave them a pardon for their past crimes but other than that I don’t know anything about them. All I know is about their past and how their former liege lord and nobles attempted a coup against my grandfather and they failed.

“Did something happen between the Stone Islands and Emerald Harbor? They didn’t seem too fond of lord Richmond.” I ask, still thinking about how that giant disrespected lord Richmond by butchering his proud family name. That one sure doesn't hold honor in great value that's for sure.

“The Islanders only care about two things and two things only. Sailing out onto open sea and the Merpeople.” The captain tells me, peaking my curiosity. “They basically worship the creatures. Even after their capital city of Atlantica got swallowed by the ocean over a hundred years ago. They never stopped worshiping those creatures.” He adds.

I didn’t say anything about my short experience with a merman to the captain. I didn’t think that he would believe me if I did. So, I kept it to myself but Kougami never mentioned anything about the Islanders to me. He kept saying that we humans were terrible. That yes, there are some good ones in the world such as myself apparently but we are overwhelmed by the bad ones.

If the Islanders view the Merpeople with such importance and grace then why didn’t Kougami offer to take me there? I mean, if a civilization is kind towards them, it would only be logical that Kougami would adore those people. I’m not even sure if he even cares about them at all.

“Emerald Harbor is a great place for merchants such as myself to dock and not have to fear for Merpeople to come out of the sea for my men.” Captain Elingston further tells me and continues, “Lord Richmond makes sure that none of those creatures come close to a mile from the harbor of which that angers the Islanders in return.”

“They resemble barbarians.” I state.

“That’s exactly what they are.” The captain agrees.

I don’t know why my father granted those men their pardon; the giant that I met sure isn’t a man that I want near me. He loves killing and I’m not sure what he would have done to me if the other man hadn’t shown up when he did. I know I can’t put everyone in the same boat but those Islanders creep me out and I can’t wait to sail off and put some distance from them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Kougami**

I searched all day but nothing. I didn’t find a single damn thing!

I fucked up, I know I fucked up and because of my mistake I pushed Ginoza away. I forced him to flee, I basically pushed him to run on his own and because of me he’s going to get hurt, I know he will. If I can’t find him soon, he will definitely get hurt and just imagining him being in pain and agony breaks my heart.

Ginoza doesn’t deserve to experience such pain and all I wanted for him was his safety and happiness that he so deserves and in my desire to protect him. I might have sent him to his death instead. I was such a fool, I just wanted what was best for him. Why couldn't he have just seen that?

I can’t let Ginoza die. I don’t know why I feel so strongly towards him but I do and I know that it makes absolutely no sense but I must protect him. Ginoza is precious to me.

I’m a fool; I don’t know why I acted like a total idiot when I was being helped by those humans. They clearly had no disdain towards me and from what I could tell they actually held high respect for my people. I had the perfect chance to speak to that commander about Ginoza but I didn’t. And now, I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get another chance before it’s too late.

Tsunemori searched all day like she said that she would but all she could find were the wrong ships and once she was almost speared by a fisherman and that’s when she stopped her search. Can’t say that I blame her either. The last thing I would have wanted was for her to get injured or killed because of me.

It's funny though. How I’m back in the same scenario I was in before meeting Ginoza, only difference is the location. Maybe if I gaze at the stars long enough. Maybe something will happen and just like last night Ginoza will appear out of nowhere and do something absolutely crazy that could threaten his own life.

I can’t help but smile just thinking about him. For a human, he’s fearless. Say whatever you want, it took quite some guts to jump off such a high cliff without even knowing if he would have survived once he'd hit the bottom but Ginoza did it anyway. He took a leap of faith and sometimes I wonder if his intentions in that moment were to die or just escape.

If Ginoza is pushed in the right way, if the circumstances fall just right, it might be scary exactly what he can do. When everything is calm Ginoza is shy, unsure about himself and definitely lacks confidence. But when something triggers him, he can become fearless and he jumps into action immediately just like he did in the cave. He had no knowledge how long he needed to swim in order to get to the other side but that didn’t stop him from trying anyway.

A loud ruckus in the distance catches my attention. It would seem like the humans who are at the port are having a good time. It’s nice hearing some laughter once in a while and seeing humans actually getting along with each other for a change. It feels pretty good actually.

I wonder if Ginoza has ever been to some of these kinds of fanfares before. He did say that he’s never left the capital until now but it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t mingled with the local people right? I mean even if he is the prince, he was given the right to have fun like any other kid right?

A disturbance in the water suddenly catches my attention. Followed by a woman’s screams that urges me to drop back into the water as I swim towards the disturbance only to find a small child sinking like a rock as it struggles its little arms and legs to try and go back to the surface but fails to do so and instead continues to sink deeper into the water.

I gently grab the child and swim upwards back to the surface only to find a young female human in tears as she reaches out for the child and the little boy does the same.

“Thank you!” She quickly thanks me as she pulls the trembling child into her arms. “What is your name?” She asks which is odd coming from a human. 

For some reason, they always assume that we have no name. Most assume that we can't even understand their words nor can we talk at all. It's rather funny actually.

“I don’t think it will matter much knowing that.” I reply back as I stick out the tip of my tail but much to my surprise she doesn’t seem to be frightened at all about my revelation. Instead she’s staring at me exactly like how many would stare at gold, it’s rather odd.

“You’re real, I knew it.” She says softly to herself but aware that I could hear her. “Is there something that I can do for you in return?” She asks, holding the child closer towards her.

It’s the first time a human willingly wants to talk to me even though she knows what I am and the thing is that she’s not afraid either. I’d say by how she’s looking at me, she’s rather fascinated about me and I’m thinking that maybe she secretly dreams of us. It’s obvious by how she dresses that she’s nothing more than a peasant woman so I guess it explains her kindness and curiosity but still.

I wonder though…

“There’s only one thing that I seek for, I’m not certain that you could help me with who I seek.” I say catching her interest as she lets go of the child who’s still clinging to his mother.

“I can try.” She replies back.

It might be for nothing but I’ve got nothing to lose but to try. It might be for nothing or it might be useful, if I don’t ask I’ll never know.

“I seek a young man, not older than sixteen but quite tall for his age with quite a slender built.” I start describing Ginoza to the best of my abilities and continue, “He’s got short black hair with striking green eyes. You couldn’t miss him if you had seen him.”

“As a matter of fact, I did see such an individual wandering on the port today.” She quickly answers much to my joy. Now I know that I guessed right and took the right path much to my relief. “The last time I saw this boy was on the dock, he was speaking to the captain of the Grace and then he got on board of the ship.” She further tells me which doesn’t suit me very well but at least I know that he’s safe and wherever he goes, I’ll make sure to follow.

I turn towards the port in order to look at the docked ships. Much to my dismay, there are quite and few and I’m honestly not sure which one is my ship.

“The Grace? Is it still here?” I ask.

“Yes, it’s the second one to the right, the second largest next to the Dread.” She answers.

The second largest ship, got it. It’s not exactly hard to miss and I’m relieved that it’s still here so I’m assuming that it won’t leave before sunrise which is good. It's much easier to follow a ship during the day than in the night.

I never understood the meaning behind why humans name their wooden vessels or ships as they love to call them it would seem. I guess in a sense the Grace is a fitting name for such a grand ship but the one that has caught my attention for some time though is the largest one. The one with the black sails and I must say that the Dread does give it justice. I would certainly dread seeing it approaching me if I was the enemy. It’s without a doubt a ship for the sole purpose of war and deep down I have a feeling that I know to whom it belongs to. It has to belong to the Islanders. Only question I have is if the same humans that I saw back in Fueno are the ones sailing it I wonder.

“Do you know where it’s going? The capital maybe?” I ask, forcing my mind off the Dread for now.

At the moment all that matters is the Grace. I don’t have time to try and figure out if the Dread is captained by the same human I saw earlier. Even though I would love to speak with that human, I just don’t have the time to do so.

“I don’t know. I do know that it’s not going to the capital because that’s where it came from.” The woman tells me as she continues, “But if you must know, the boy was rather filthy and seemed rather lost. Is everything okay?”

The last time I saw Ginoza, he wasn’t filthy. He had light injuries to his wrists but nothing more than that so I guess he must have struggled just to get here and I wonder if he’s really okay. I hope the captain he spoke to has been kind to him, that’s all I can do right now. Hope is all I have…

“I’d love to tell you but the less you know the better.” I tell her. It wouldn’t be the first time I would hear about how some innocent human was killed because of something that they knew. I would feel terrible if that would happen to this woman because of something I would have told her. “You and your child could die if you knew too much so for both your safety, you didn’t see any boy.” I add in a warning.

This woman might be poor but she’s no fool either. She knows something is wrong and the fact that she quickly looks away. I know she realizes exactly how big this whole thing is. I wonder though if she was able to put one plus one together and figured out exactly who the boy that she saw was.

“Okay…” She mutters as she takes her little boy back into her arms.

“You did not see me either.” I tell her and she nods.

“I understand, thank you.” She tells me before walking away with the boy sitting on her hip.

It’s rather sad having to live in secrecy so much but I know she understood my reasoning and I hope one day I might be able to thank her for her kindness properly. Well if I can somehow manage to keep Ginoza out of harm’s way and alive. He might become king one day and maybe by that, it might just help this woman in the near future.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 7.5**

**Ginoza**

I barely could sleep at all last night. Every time I would close my eyes, all I could see was the face of that giant as he kept starring down on me with menacing eyes. And then, he would try to kill me with his massive sword. I always kept waking up only seconds before he could kill me and then it took forever just to be able to fall asleep again. Only to start another nightmare about the same thing but in a different way.

The constant nightmares I experienced last night wasn’t because of what happened on the dock. I had them back inside of the cave too just with different people. All of those bad dreams I've been experiencing, I know they are all caused by the added stress I’ve been enduring.  But, I know everything will be better once I arrive at Emerald Harbor and I’m finally under lord Richmond’s protection.

I haven’t seen lord Richmond for the last two years but I have seen him quite often in the past though. Maybe not as much as lord Umber but still quite a lot. 

I honestly would have preferred going to lord Umber. I definitely would have felt safer behind the strong walls of Harrenhall but it was impossible for me to travel there on my own. I never would have made it so lord Richmond is my only chance. And I hope once I’m there, I'll be able to tell him about what has happened and he’ll be able to do something about it.

I’m certain once my father learns about where I am and that I'm safe with lord Richmond. I know he’ll make his move on the traitors that still lurks within our ranks. And once my father calls forth all of his bannermen, our enemies will quickly seek for peace and everything will be over.

I walk over to the small window to look outside. Compared to last night, everything has gone quiet and I notice that the ship is moving and much to my joy it seems like the Dread isn’t ready to set sail yet since they still haven’t opened up the sails and I wonder if the men on it are even awake. Probably not considering how much they drank last night but I don’t care. The faster we can put some distance from them, the happier I will be.

A light knock catches my attention as the door opens and the old captain enters.

“Your royal highness.” He tells me followed by a light bow before continuing, “The Grace has set sailed. If the wind is on our side, we’ll arrive at Emerald Harbor by night fall. If not, we won’t dock before tomorrow afternoon.”

By tomorrow afternoon still doesn’t sound too bad so I can’t complain. It beats walking in the mud and being paranoid over every little sound that suddenly happens all around me. I hope that I never have to travel in such a way ever again. It was just awful and I wonder how my people can do it on a daily basis.

“It’s perfectly fine.” I acknowledge and he does a slight bow before turning away only to stop after he stepped out of the cabin.

“I believe that it is your first time on a ship, is it not?” He asks.

“It is.” I confirm.

I’ve often seen them quickly dock at the capital to deliver supplies but the city itself isn’t a port so I haven’t seen all the types of ships there is. Only those similar to the Grace or smaller but after seeing the Dread yesterday, I wonder exactly how many types of ships there are. Compared to the Dread, the Grace doesn’t seem like much. Yes it was the second largest ship in port last night but compared to the Dread, it seemed rather tiny.

“It’s a calm morning today. The sun is shining and the breeze is rather nice.” He tells me and asks, “Shall we?”

A smile forms on my face as I quickly exit the cabin and follow the captain up to the main deck where the sailors are busy working on the masts while some are mopping the deck. Every man on board seems to be doing something specific on the ship.

“Considering we’re not at war at the moment, can the Grace be used for warfare?” I ask.

“Yes it can but it’s not exactly built for such things. You see, the Grace was built for speed in order to deliver goods in the shortest amount of time. It’s only a simple Brig after all.” He explains as he gestures for me to follow him up a set of stairs that leads up to the quarter deck where a sailor is navigating the ship.

“What about the Dread?” I ask and add, “It looked so much different than the Grace.”

By the size of it I can easily assume that the dread must have at least three levels compared to the Grace who only has two. It definitely has way more cannons and I’d be willing to bet that it also contains more cabins too. The size itself is rather frightening but if it’s use for commerce, I can only imagine the amount of goods that it can carry.

“The Dread is what you'd call a Galleon; it’s mainly used for war.” The captain answers with a bitter tone.

“Sounds like they want bloodshed…” I mutter.

I guess it really shouldn’t surprise me since every man that came off that ship were all harmed with a weapon of some sort. They seemed to be ready for combat and now that I know that the Dread is definitely a war ship used mainly to wage war it must be exactly what they are after. They want to fight and that worries me. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time they would rebel against the crown. They’ve done it before so what assures me that they won’t attempt to do it again?

“It would seem so but all you must know your highness is that for the last seven years, the new liege lord of the Stone Islands has been extremely devoted to your father and to the crown.” Captain Elingston informs me but exactly what does that mean? That I should have gone to them for help instead of heading for Emerald Harbor if the Islanders are so loyal now?

I would have preferred to go home directly but that’s out of the question. I know that and I should stop dwelling on it for now but it’s hard and now I’m stuck trying to figure out what it is that I should do. Who can I trust and who can’t I trust? I’m scared that I’ll end up trusting the wrong ones and in the end it will get me killed.

“I’m on the run… Someone is conspiring against my father or maybe many. I just don’t know. Only that it’s obvious that a trap was waiting for me in the king’s wood…” I answer as I sit down on a wooden crate. “I don’t know who I should trust.”

Back in the king's wood, I never took a specific trail. I was advised never to do so because thieves and other sort of criminals loves habits. They use those to formulate a strategy in order to ambush their targets. And even though I did exactly what I was told, we were still ambushed as if they were waiting for me.

“The game of politics has always been a difficult one I’m afraid and it’s not always easy to make decisions. Sometimes your decision turns out good and sometimes it doesn’t always turn out like how you’d hope for but you learn from them and that’s how you grow.” The captain tells me before sitting down next to me on the crate.

“But what if your decisions are a matter of life and death and if you choose wrong, you die?” I ask, the words slowly rolling off my tongue as if dreading to say them.

I’m afraid of choosing wrong. I don’t really care what happens to me. I know that you can’t live forever and once your time comes there’s really nothing you can do to stop it but the thing is that the decisions that I will make won’t just affect me. Thousands will be affected if I choose wrong and who knows how many will die.

No matter how I look at it, I just don’t have the luxury to make mistakes. One simple mistake can cost my father so much, just one mistake can cause the fall of my entire country…

I didn’t ask to be born; I didn’t choose who my parents would be. I didn’t choose to be a prince of an entire country. All of that was shoved down my throat the moment I was born. Even before I could walk, so much expectation was thrown onto me and it’s not fair.

“You’re an intelligent young man and in this world you do whatever it takes to stay alive. You fight and you claw but you never give up and from what I’ve seen, you have a determination to live and that’s all you need. The rest will come on its own if you give yourself a chance. You’re still young and you will make mistakes and many of them as you keep on growing but that’s okay.” He further tells me as he places a hand on my shoulder and gives me a soft smile but I can’t return one.

He makes it sound so easy but it’s not. What I wouldn’t give to be nothing more than a commoner. I know that they don’t have it easy either, no one has it easy but at least they’re happy. Even though they don’t have much, they’re genuinely happy and I’ve always had everything anyone could ever want and I’m not happy. I’m suffocating and I have an obligation to fulfill that I can’t back away from. The moment I was born, I was obligated to my people…

“Do you think that I chose right? I mean to go to lord Richmond?” I nervously ask fearing his answer and that I made a terrible mistake.

“The Richmonds have always been good friends and allies of your family since the old age.” He answers and it’s one of the main reason why I wanted to go there in the first place. The Richmonds have always been by my family’s side right from the very beginning. And due to that, they are known as one of the five great houses in the land. “I wouldn’t be taking you there if I was not absolutely convinced that you’d be safe.” He adds as he stands up, inviting me to follow him back down to the main deck.

I get up and follow him down as he starts explaining to me how everything works and I must say that it’s all quite fascinating. And in order for the ship to properly function and sail smoothly, everyone must work as a team. There is no I when it comes to sailing and that’s really fun to watch and although it seems easy watching the men work. I’m sure that it’s a lot harder than what it seems and for one, I’m sure I would not be a good sailor that’s for sure.

The captain leaves me be once he’s done giving me a tour of the ship and before I get in anyone’s way I go back down below to the cabins as I await my destination.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Ginoza**

The Grace was able to sail smoothly all the way to Emerald Harbor with ease and in good times too. The wind was surely on our side and just like Captain Elingston had said, we arrived at the Harbor by nightfall. 

Once the ship docked into port, I thanked the captain for his assistance before getting off his ship and made my way through the busy city all the way to the Gainsborough castle.

I read many books about the grandness of the Gainsborough castle. About how the founder of house Richmond was the one who had built the whole structure stone by stone. And that the castle itself was built over a complex design of steam ventilations that is then used to heat the whole castle during the winters. In the summer, those very same steam ventilations somehow release cold air instead of heat and cools the structure down. To be honest, the castle itself is quite impressive. Just looking at its exterior is truly something else. I never thought that I'd ever be standing in front of it.

I can't believe it that I'm finally here, it took a day to reach it but here I am. I can't help but have this nervous feeling down in my gut, I'm close and yet so far. The fear that somehow something will happen and I won't make it to see lord Richmond worries me but I know that's impossible and I'm just being silly.

I take a deep breath before stepping closer towards the entrance when two armed soldiers suddenly greet me at the main entrance only to quickly block my path, preventing me from entering the castle.

“Halt!” One shouts as if trying to be intimidating or something. “State your business!” He orders with the same tone but instead of giving an air of authority, he just looks like an idiot dressed in a suit of armor and his partner isn’t too impressive either. They think they are but they’re not, not even close.

“I must speak with lord Richmond.” I quickly state only for one of them to start laughing while the other clearly wants to mock me. Obviously these ones haven't been thought proper manners and sadly such soldiers can only put a bad name for lord Richmond of which is very unfortunate.

“Lord Richmond is a busy man; he doesn’t have time to deal with lowly peasants such as yourself.” The soldier responds which makes his partner laugh even more.

I’ve seen many things when it comes to soldiers. I’ve seen drunken soldiers, lazy soldiers, and odd soldiers. I've even seen an emotional soldier once but this is the first time I’m faced with two lunatics. Clearly they entered the wrong profession. Perhaps it’s the reason why lord Richmond decided to put them on guard duty instead of giving them a real job.

“Perhaps you can give me your names and I’ll ask my father the king to deal with both of you personally.” I voice out at both of them without breaking eye contact.

Their laughters slowly died down as I kept staring at them in silence until they grew quiet and all you could hear were the chirps of crickets. 

The soldiers both looked at each other for a few seconds before returning their gaze back at me. I believe it was in that moment they realized that they royally messed up. And all they could do was stutter their words like little children who just got reprimanded for something they did wrong.

I must say that it's rather funny to watch the soldiers fumble. Especially the one who had been giving me attitude only a few minutes ago. He's now nothing more than a nervous wreck as I follow him inside of the castle and through the empty halls. 

It was the first time I ever did something like that. To use my father's name and my title in order to insert my power over a soldier. To be honest, the words had just rolled off my tongue as if it was only natural for me to do so and it felt good. Actually, I’m rather proud of myself.

“My lord, you have a visitor.” The soldier says, allowing me to enter the large room that clearly lacks furniture. I wonder what this room is used for exactly…

I quickly glance towards the soldier and back towards the man he brought me to and he’s not exactly who I had in mind. He did bring me to a lord Richmond but he’s the wrong one. This is his son Edmund Richmond who’s about the same age as my father. Lord Richmond is an elderly man. He would be old enough to be my grandfather actually. It's because of that I chose to come here. His age makes him very wise and I could use his council right now.

“Leave us.” Lord Richmond orders and the soldier complies without saying a word and leaves us alone. “I must be honest; I was not expecting a royal visit.” He tells me and that’s understandable since there was no way for me to do so beforehand and even if I could, I don't think it would have been wise on my part to do so. Birds are easily killed, anyone could have had my message which is why my father hates them.

“It’s been a complicated few days.” I respond and ask, “Where is lord Richmond?”

“That would be me your highness. I’m afraid that my father has recently passed, he’s been ill for the last two years.” He tells me and it feels as if someone just punched me in the chest. What now? I met Randyl Richmond many times when I was younger so I knew him very well. As for Edmund, I’ve only met him a few times but not enough to get an idea about the man. “He was a stubborn man; I didn’t think death had the patience.” He further tells me as I quickly catch a glimpse of sadness in his eyes.

“I’m sorry; the news of his death has not reached us yet in the Tearling, my lord.” I reply back. I’m not exactly sure what else to say, we really didn’t know. My father will surely be devastated once he learns that Randyl Richmond, one of his closest friends is dead.

“Nothing to apologize for your highness but I must admit I am troubled to find you here under my roof on your own.” Lord Richmond voices out.

I wasn’t able to send words that I was coming so I caught him completely unprepared to accept me. And I guess that it is rather unusual for someone in my position to come without a large entourage and an escort of fully well trained knights but these are not normal circumstances. The thing is that I kind of like it in a strange way.

“Two days ago, I was attacked in the king’s wood; my escort of five knights were slaughtered. I somehow managed to escape my captors after jumping off the high peak into the ocean. I was able to travel to Donau on foot where I was fortunate that an old merchant sailor that I recognized was there to bring me here. I didn’t know who else to go to.” I quickly recount my last few days, not really wanting to go into the details. After all, I don't think he would take it too well to know that I had contact with a merman.

Lord Richmond has gone quiet, his eyes fixated onto me for a few minutes before he started pacing around the room all the while brushing his greying beard with his fingers, clearly in deep thoughts.

“That is unacceptable, absolutely despicable!” He voices out after a few minutes of silence, his tone clearly filled with anger and frustration. “Any suspicions as to who could have done this treasonous act?” He asks but I have nothing to say that would contribute in finding these traitors.

“No, that’s why I couldn’t go to the capital. I don’t think I would have been able to reach the gates without being captured again.” I tell him but I wish I could have told him more. If only I knew more, I would have been much more helpful.

There are so many different houses in this country. So many small lords here and there that I’m not even sure who could be plotting against my father in order to overthrow him. I’m not even sure if it is one of the many houses in this kingdom who are conspiring against the crown. Of all I know, it could be a lord from another country who wants to spark a war against the houses of this country. What better way to destroy this country by having every lords fighting each other. There will be nothing left to oppose any neighboring countries if that were to happen. It's a brilliant strategy. Cowardly though, but brilliant none the less.

“No, I’m relieved to see you under my roof safe and unharmed.” Lord Richmond says as he comes closer towards me and lays his hands on my shoulders before continuing. “Fear not, you are safe now. No harm will come to you; I swear that justice will be done.”

Yes, I want justice for the men that bravely lost their lives trying to protect me. Who were probably betrayed by someone they knew which makes it even worst. But, what I want more is for those who are responsible for such heinous acts to be apprehended. I don't want any more innocent people to lose their lives to their greed. 

I may not know their names, but I remember their faces. I know that they serve someone who is much higher than them. And deep down, I know it's one of the houses who claims to serve my father but I can't figure out who would dare betray my father. 

“Thank you and I’m truly sorry about your father. I saw him many times during his visits at the capital; he was always kind to me. It saddens me to hear of his passing, he was a dear friend of my father’s.” I say and even though lord Edmund seems to be a kind man, I wish lord Randyl was still alive. I wish he was still here; his vast knowledge would have been most needed. We’ve been at peace for far too long, I’m not even sure if anyone is ready to fight a war if there ever is one.

“He was loved by many.” Lord Edmund assures me and I’m sure that lord Randyl was indeed loved by many. “You have traveled far your highness. I believe a warm bath, proper clothing that fits your rank would be good and a hot supper is most deserved.” He adds and all of that would be very nice.

“Thank you, my lord.” I thank him just as a young woman with long dark brown wavy hair and olive coloured skin enters the room.

“This is Osha, she will take good care of you.” Lord Edmund tells me and Osha gives me a soft smile as she invites me to follow her and I do so without question.

I leave lord Richmond to his own, in the much vacant room he seems to be fond of for some reason and follow Osha down the long hall and up a long staircase until we reached the top.

“This will be your chambers during your stay here, your highness.” She tells me with a light accent as she opens the door to reveal a large bedroom and enters before continuing. “I’m certain that it doesn’t come near to what you have at the Tearling but I hope that it pleases you.”

“It’s perfect, thank you.” I tell her as I enter the room and Osha gently closes the door behind me.

“It is I that thanks you, your highness.” Osha adds with a small bow. “I will prepare a hot bath.” She tells me before walking away towards the far end of the room where the tub is and starts pouring water in it to fill it up all the while some metal blocks are being heated on top of some hot coals.

I must say that this room doesn’t look like the one I have back at the Tearling that's for sure. It’s much smaller but I’m thankful for lord Richmond’s hospitality. After sleeping in a wet cave, walking through mud, getting washed in cold water and sleeping on a hard bed in a rocking ship, this is more than I could ask for. It’s quiet, cozy and warm, it's just perfect.

I quickly glance towards Osha at the far end of the room. She just took out the metal bars from the tub and I see the water is steaming. She then replaces the bars on top of the hot coals to heat them up again and then stands still, only staring at me as if waiting for something only for it to hit me a few seconds after that she’s waiting for me…

Ever since I was young, I’ve always had maids to serve me and not just for simple things but for everything. Ever since I could remember, I’ve never been able to take a bath by myself but the maids were always the same. They basically saw me grow, they’re old enough to be my mother, maybe even older. So I kind of got used to them in a way but shedding off my clothes in front of a new face is not something that I look forward to.

Taking a cold bath back in Donau by myself might not have been too pleasant but I didn’t have any eyes looking at me. I was by myself and I rather enjoyed it but this isn’t my house and it would be rather disrespectful if I told Osha to go away. She just wants to do her job…

“Allow me your highness.” She quickly says just as I’m about to remove my shirt and before I can even say anything she’s already by my side, gently lifting my shirt over my head.

I feel my face burning and I’m sure it must be red by now as I feel the blood rush to the tip of my ears. I think Osha understood how I felt since she quickly grabbed a towel and lift it upwards preventing herself from seeing me as I removed the rest of my clothing and once I’m done she carefully wraps it around my waist.

“Careful the water may be hot.” She warns me as I enter the tub and she lays the towel on top of the tub to use as a cover much to my relief.

“It’s fine.” I tell her and I must say I never thought that I would have missed a hot bath as much as I did. I so needed this.

I close my eyes as I soak in the warmth of the water for a few minutes. All I hear is Osha working near me followed by the sound of hot metal sizzling in cold water for a few seconds before everything becomes quiet again. I open my eyes only to see her replace the metal block back onto the hot coal before turning her attention to something else.

“Osha, where are you from?” I ask catching her attention. “You’re not from here.” I add.

“You can tell your highness?” She asks in return as she puts a small empty tub behind me.

“You have an accent that I’ve never heard before.” I tell her and not to mention that I’ve never seen anyone with the same coloured of skin as she does. And I’ve seen a lot of people come and go from the palace so I would know.

“I was a slave and lord Richmond bought me.”  She tells me and that’s rather surprising since house Richmond is one of the five noble houses in this kingdom. Of all people, lord Richmond should know the laws that prohibit slavery. Buying and selling slaves is a grave crime, it’s forbidden.

“Slavery is a grave crime in this country.” I state as I stare at her but she doesn’t seem bothered by it at all.

“I am not a slave anymore your highness. I work for lord Richmond because I wish to, he bought me my freedom.” She explains as she carefully pours warm water over my head followed by the sound of water dripping down the empty tub behind me.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you become a slave?” I ask and I'm not sure why. I mean it's not any of my business and it's rather disrespectful on my part and yet I'm still curious to know.

“My mother sold me to the pleasure house when I was eight.” Osha answers and I’m lost for words. How could a mother be able to sell her own child like that? That's just beyond heartless on so many levels.

“I’m sorry, it must have been difficult.” Was all I could say. “Lord Richmond is a kind man for taking you away from such a life.” I add.

“Yes he is and so are you.” Osha tells me and I can’t help but look upwards to meet her gaze as she washes my hair.

“Kindness won’t help me in my situation unfortunately…” I state.

“Wrong, kindness is the uttermost importance a ruler may possess. You cannot rule without being able to show mercy when it is needed.” Osha states and she isn’t wrong in a way. A good ruler knows when to show mercy and when to take action but deciding when one or the other is needed isn’t easy.

After what happened in the king’s wood, I know that whoever betrayed me should be put to the sword. What they did was treason but I’m not sure if I could do it if the time came.

“It’s a lot, so much to think about.” I mutter.

“Yes and that is why you should rest. There are times to think and then there are times to relax and unwind. Allow all your worries to be cast aside for now and relax.” Osha tells me as she finishes rinsing my hair from the soap and adds. “You’re under the protection of lord Richmond now, everything will be fine.”

She’s right, I’m under lord Richmond’s protection. He's one of my father’s most loyal bannermen so I should stop worrying. And soon, whoever is trying to rebel against my father will be caught in a corner with nowhere else to go. They’ll be trapped like a rat but until then, I need to be careful-.

I feel something warm brush against my nape as I feel Osha wrap her arms around my chest. Her hands feeling up my chest, slowly going down to my abdomen before I grabbed both her hands, pulling them away.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I look behind me to meet her gaze.

“Ever been with a woman, your highness?” She asks instead, not answering my question as she gets up and walks to the other side of the tub.

“No.” I answer back, not really getting why she would even ask me such a thing in the first place. Of course I’ve never been with a woman before, my father would never allow it and quite frankly I don’t care.

“We’re very complicated you know. Pleasing us takes practice.” She tells me, slightly leaning against the edge of the tub.

My father has never spoken to me about such things. Actually he’s never told me if I’m promised to a noble lady or not but I always assumed that I probably am which would be the reason why my father never brought up the subject. 

I know a few sons of lords who have already gone to brothels and other pleasure houses and had their share, but I never did and I never tried to.

“After I was sold to the pleasure house, I was trained for three years on how to pleasure a man.” Osha states all the while not removing her gaze off me.

“And that’s supposed to help me about pleasuring a woman?” I ask, not really sure why I asked that. The words just slipped through without thinking.

“I’m a woman and I know exactly how to please a man.” She answers as she straightens herself up before removing the belt around her waist. Allowing it to fall onto the floor and then pulls onto a thin cord around her neck, allowing her dress to drop down to her feet.

She doesn’t seem to be bothered about standing naked before me. Actually, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that she’s perfectly fine with it and even though it’s indecent, I can’t look away as she pulls the towel that she had laid on top of the tub away and gets into the tub herself.

“I’m going to take very good care of you, your highness.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Ginoza**

“How do you like it here?” Lord Richmond asks as he joins me on the balcony. “You seem much more relaxed.” 

I give him a soft smile before returning my gaze back onto the ocean. To think that only a day ago I was afraid of being caught, that I was filthy and somewhat lost. A day ago I didn't know what would become of me and now I no longer have to worry anymore. I got myself here, I did that and I'm proud of what I accomplished even though it might not be much.

“I am and I love it here.” I answer. “The water is so clear, I can see right at the bottom but why do they call it Emerald Harbor?” I ask.

Even though the sun is gone and the moon is shining brightly tonight, I can still see everything. It’s like there’s something illuminating the water at the bottom of the ocean and it’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a thing and I don’t recall ever reading about it either. It's truly fascinating.

“They call it Emerald Harbor due to its waters. All year round it doesn’t matter; the water is always green and clear.” He calmly explains as he sits down next to me, his back facing the ocean.

If my father was here right now he'd be the first to tell me to get down from the ledge. He'd be constantly worried that I would somehow lose my balance and fall. But even if I did, I seriously doubt it that I would get injured. After all, it's much less higher than from the jump I did from the high peak and I survived without receiving any injuries.

“I hear you don’t allow Merpeople near the Harbor.” I voice out as I catch a glimpse of his eye.

“No I don’t and for very good reasons.” He admits without any hesitations in his tone. “Don’t think poorly of me your highness. I’m simply preventing needless bloodshed in my waters.” He adds and I guess that makes sense. I mean, if Merpeople would wander around the harbor, I guess it would be a bunch of problems that would constantly pile up and eventually lord Richmond would lose control.

“I met a merman yesterday; he saved my life after I jumped off the high peak. He wasn’t a savage like the stories I’ve been told. He understood me and also spoke in our tongue and not once did he ever try to hurt me.” I recount but lord Richmond doesn’t seem surprised in the slightest by what I just told him. He doesn’t have the same disdain look in his eyes like captain Elingston had when he spoke about the Merpeople. Lord Richmond's eyes on the other hand remained gentle. And he quietly listened to what I had to say without even trying to interrupt me which actually felt nice.

“Because they are not savages. They live for a very long time, they are beings that we humans have a hard time to understand and in turn we kill them.” Lord Richmond explains and that’s true. More than half of the time when humans destroy something or kills someone, it's often because there's a lack of understanding. But the harsh truth is that it's much easier to destroy than to understand.

I was afraid of Kougami at first because of what I had been told about him and his people. I was afraid about the things that they supposedly did to their victims. But now that I think about it, I don’t think he would have done anything to hurt me. 

After everything he did for me, I never did try to understand him while he did everything in order to try to understand me. And the thing I regret the most is that I never thanked him for saving my life. He didn't have to but he did and instead of trusting him, I abandoned him and fled.

“The waters around the harbor are so clear that you would see them and in turn fishermen would try to hunt them and shed blood. I keep the Merpeople away because of that, not because I hate them.” He further explains, giving me a gentle smile.

Captain Elingston believes that lord Richmond hates Merpeople because he chases them away. The Islanders believe the same thing too and because of that, the Islanders hate this place and Lord Richmond.  It's sad when you stop to think about it. It's sad because they don’t know that they both share the same interest. The Islanders adore Merpeople and lord Richmond wants to protect them. They both want the same thing in the end and yet they hate each other due to a misunderstanding.

“I’m deeply touched to know that the king’s son has great faith in my house to the point that you would come to me for protection. I am truly honored but I’m saddened to say that I must send you away.” Lord Richmond voices out as I feel my body stiffen. His words just keep on rolling through my mind over and over again as if hoping that I had heard him wrong but I know I heard correctly.

“Why?” I ask as I meet his gaze and lift my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs as I lean against the stone pillar behind me.

“My father is dead and I’m not the only potential liege lord for Emerald Harbor. Although I am his son and the rightful heir, my position is not fully secure at the moment. I’m afraid that you have come in difficult times your highness.” He explains.

I should have known, I should have known that this was too good to last. Everything was going too well for me but I should have known. It’s not uncommon for a power struggle to arise after a liege lord dies, it happens a bit too often. I was a fool to think that such a thing couldn't happen within house Richmond.

“I don’t know where else to go.” I mutter as I bury my chin into my knees.

“Rest easy. I will not abandon you but considering what is happening around here, it would not be safe for you to stay here. I’ve arranged the preparations for a ship to leave tomorrow morning. I have chosen fifteen of my best men that I trust the most and I’ll send you somewhere that I know you will be safe.” Lord Richmond further explains which is a little comforting but still. I thought I was finally done running for now but I was wrong.

“Can I know where?” I ask.

“Lord Umber will be able to provide a better protection than I can. Even if lord Umber were to die somehow of which I highly doubt it. His sons are good men and family is everything to them unlike here.” Lord Richmond tells me and I let out a sigh of relief.

Originally, going to Harrenhall was the place that I wanted to go but I couldn't reach it. Well, I could have tried but I seriously doubt it that I would have been able to make it there successfully.

“Harrenhall is the largest fortress this country has. It also boasts one of the largest armies, you will surely be safe there.” Lord Richmond further tells me and that again is very true and the Umbers also happen to be quite large men in size too.

Harrenhall, the largest fortress that boasts over sixty thousand soldiers alone. With walls so high that no matter what army you send there is no way you’ll ever be able to breach them. The fortress itself is the main thing that stands in the way of anyone who would dare try to attack the capital on land. Most would prefer to commit suicide then to lay siege to the famous fortress that has never been breached ever since it was built.

“I will inform my father about your situation when I can. I know he will do something to secure your position.” I assure lord Richmond. 

Once my father hears of this, about how some wish to usurp lord Edmund from his rightful place as liege lord of Emerald Harbor. I know my father will end this so call rebellion in a heartbeat.

“I don’t want to frighten you but there’s a war coming. I don’t know who it will be that you’ll be fighting but it’s coming and I want you to be ready for it.” Lord Richmond suddenly voices out, his voice low and serious but I don't get why it will be me who'll be fighting it. I'm not the king or is there something that I'm missing?

Honestly though, I was afraid that something like this would come up eventually. After I got attacked and abducted by unknown men, I knew something is brewing. I knew that something is indeed coming but I kept telling myself that it’s nothing but I knew otherwise. Someone is pulling the strings from the shadows and unfortunately many are going to get hurt.

“I’m not ready…” I mutter.

“I know that you’re not and that’s why I’m not hiding the truth either. You must be ready and lord Umber will help you. There are not many that you can trust but you can trust the Umbers.” He further tells me as he tries to reassure me but it's not doing much good.

“Only the Umbers?” I ask.

“Men follow strength beyond everything else. You don’t have to be a strong soldier, that is not true strength. Real strength is being able to inspire loyaltyand respect. You must be courageous and strong headed.” He answers so in other words I need to be a leader but I’m not. I’ve never barked an order in my life, I mean I never had to… I’m not the king…

“But if I don’t know who I can trust, how can I inspire loyalty?” I further ask.

“What does your instinct tell you? Your gut feeling?” He asks without answering my question.

“I don’t know…” I answer back.

“You’re not very good at hiding what is on your mind and that can be a weakness, you should work on that.” He tells me, just like Maester Aemon has been telling me over and over again for years and yet I can’t change that. No matter how hard I try, I can’t hide what I’m thinking from others.

“They scare me but I feel like they might rise up to fight for me if I call on them to.” I say numbly.

“Who?” Lord Richmond asks.

“The Islanders.” I answer. “I know it’s silly, they’re a bunch of barbarians who enjoy killing-”

“It doesn’t matter what they enjoy, what matters is do you trust them?” He calmly cuts me off.

“Strangely enough, yes and I don’t know why.” I answer.

“You can’t always explain your gut feelings but always listen to them because they’re never wrong.” Lord Richmond tells me but that’s easier said than done because my gut feelings doesn’t really sound very smart sometimes.

“How do I get them to support me?” I ask as I think back at that giant I had met on the dock in Donau. He seemed so aggressive, I’m not even sure if he’d even listen to me if I spoke. I just can’t tell what that man was thinking and I know it’s strange but I feel like I could trust him with my life. It makes no sense, he scares me but I feel like I could trust him with anything…

“You make them. You find a way that is true to your beliefs and I know you will find a way.” Lord Richmond tells me and I wish I could see what he sees in me. I don’t feel like I’ll ever be able to find a way to do anything… “Sleep well; you’ll be leaving at sunrise. Earlier if I can allow it so you should get some rest now while you still can, it will be a long journey to Harrenhall.” He further tells me as he gets up and leaves me alone on the balcony and I retreat back inside after a few minutes. I wish so much for everything to remain this peaceful forever…

**XXX**

* * *

**XXX**

“Your highness, wake up!” I hear Osha’s voice suddenly pull me out of my long awaited sleep.

“What’s happening?” I groggily ask, still pretty much half asleep as I look around the room. It’s still dark but even so, it’s noisy. There’s definitely a disturbance going on outside. I don’t know what it is but it doesn’t sound too pleasant.

“There’s no time to explain.” She tells me as she tosses the covers away and pulls me up to my feet. Quickly helping me get dressed as the commotion outside seems to be getting closer and wilder by the minute.

“Where’s lord Richmond?” I nervously ask.

“Fighting to suppress the rebels.” She tells me as she finishes buttoning my vest, her hands clearly shaking. “You must go! Now!” She urges me as she grabs me by the wrist and quickly leads me to the door; opening it carefully as she peaks her head out.

Lord Richmond said that I had come to Emerald Harbor in difficult times but I never thought that it would end up like this so quickly. I can’t believe that there’s an actual rebellion taking place. I just hope that it will fail and lord Richmond will be able to restore order quickly.

“Go down the stairs and down the hall. Speak to no one, look at no one and stop for no one until you reach the docks, there’s a ship waiting for you.” Osha instructs, taking me out of my thoughts. “Lord Richmond’s men who are still loyal to him won’t hurt you but the rebels will.” She adds.

“Come with me Osha.” I urge her as I try to ignore the madness that's happening nearby.

“There’s someone I must say goodbye to first.” She states and that person I can only assume must be lord Richmond himself but if he's fighting there's no way that she'll be able to reach him. She can't possibly be thinking of doing what I think that she'll do.

“Osha during rebellions, women get raped.” I tell her and her expression quickly grows serious.

“No one is raping me.” She tells me as she quickly lifts her skirt up to her knee revealing a dagger attached to her leg. “Now go!” She barks.

I quickly make my way down the stone steps as I feel my heart pounding hard in my chest as I hear the clinging of metal against metal and the sound of screaming men in the distance as I nervously make my way through the dark hall.

What was of the grand Gainsborough castle is now consumed by dead soldiers lying motionlessly on the floor. The scent of blood in the air is all I can smell with a mix of smoke as the grounds outside of the castle has been set on fire and I just can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing. Lord Richmond is the rightful lord; he’s a kind man so I don’t understand why all of this is happening.

I do exactly as Osha instructed. I carefuly navigate my way through the raging chaos, not looking at anyone or attempting to speak to those near me. And somehow, I made it to the dock but what I saw there wasn’t what I was expecting. The ships that docked into the port earlier have all been set on fire. They’ve long since been consumed by the raging flames, illuminating the port. And the docks decorated in bodies and blood.

What do I do now?

The soldiers who had been specifically chosen to take me to Harrenhall have been butchered. They must have been the first ones to perish in this rebellion. But it’s only after I recognized one of the burning ships that I realize the horrifying truth. It wasn’t only just the soldiers who got put under the sword. Even the simple merchants received the same fate and only a few feet away from where I stood, my eyes fell onto an old man lying near the burning Grace.

I quickly run to Captain Elingston’s body only to find him barely alive with a terrible stab wound in the abdomen, blood gushing out as it keeps spilling all over. His gaze slowly falls on me with his old grey eyes when I touched him. A weak smile forms on his lips before his eyes closes and his body goes limp and I feel my eyes start to burn and I can’t hold in the tears from rolling down my cheeks. He was good man, he was innocent-.

A sudden loud commotion followed by drunken voices catches my attention. I jump up to my feet in all haste rather nervously just as three drunken men enter my vision. I quickly turn away only to find two more standing behind me a little further away. And without thinking, I bolt into a run only to be caught off by one of them. And before I knew it, they had me completely surrounded on all sides.

I suddenly feel one of them grab my arm from behind, roughly yanking me backwards. And without thinking, I turned around and slapped the man in the face only to receive one in return which causes me to lose my balance and I fall face first onto the ground. The man quickly follows, pressing his stinking body against my back, putting all of his weight onto me. 

“Ever been fucked pretty boy!?” He asks, his lips so near to my ear that I could feel his breath as he spoke.

I feel his weight disappear only to get violently dragged on the ground a bit before being roughly turned on my back as two men hold on to my wrists to keep me still and pinned down on the ground. While the one who stroke me in the face kneels over my body as he starts untying his pants and the two others simply watches as I struggle to free myself but I can’t and the more I struggle the more it seems to amuse them.

I feel my eyes burning again as I feel tears escape and all I can hear are the drunken laughters of the men holding me down as the other pulls down his pants to his knees revealing his disgusting erection. He quickly turns his attention on my pants and starts untying the cords when I hear a strangled muffled sound. And then, one of the men who was watching suddenly falls onto the ground headless. His severed head rolling down onto the ground towards me just as the man who had been kneeling on top of me gets lifted into the air by the scruff of his neck by the very giant that had scared me the night before in Donau.

The sound of metal penetrating flesh and a strangled whimper is sends chivers down my spine. Followed by the man’s insides and blood comes spilling out onto the ground before the giant Dormer lets the mangled body of the man drop onto the floor and then turns his blade onto the men who had been holding me down.

“No! Please!” One quickly pleads before getting his throat slashed, his blood spilling out like a small stream.

I know I should get on my feet, I should run and flee for my life but I can’t move. I’m frozen in place while my gaze is glued onto the giant Islander who keeps on killing one man right after the other until none is left alive but the two of us.

He claimed that night in Donau that it brought him joy taking someone’s life and that he loved killing. That killing was the sweetest thing there was. Even though I knew he was telling the truth, I didn’t want to believe him. But I saw it tonight, he didn’t hesitate to kill those men nor does he regret it either but I don't know why he chose to come here.

“You’re alright now, little bird.” He tells me before lifting me up over his shoulder and starts walking away as if it was nothing.

I can still hear the sounds of screams in the distance followed by a ship’s mass crumbling down onto the water but none of this seems to be bothering the giant as he keeps on walking towards the end of the dock and suddenly lowers me down into a small rowing boat before getting in himself and starts rowing away towards the ocean like he's done something like this a million times.

In the distance, I see a large ship with large black sails, knowing full well that it has to be the Dread but it's just floating there. Waiting silently like those on board are completely oblivious to the chaos that's currently happening.

I look back towards the Harbor that had been so peaceful only a few hours ago is now completely up in flames. The screams ever present keeps on getting fainter as Dormer keeps on rowing further away from the Harbor and closer towards the Dread. And I can't help but wonder if Osha is still alive and if lord Richmond is being able to suppress the rebels. I know that there isn't anything I can do but I feel completely useless. I wasn't able to help anyone. I wasn't even able to help myself and I probably would have been killed by those men if it hadn't been for Dormer. He saved me and I don't know why but how can I expect my father's bannermen to fight for me if I can't do anything to help them when they need it…?

Dormer doesn’t say anything as he keeps on rowing towards the large ship. He seems rather focused on the task at hand at the moment and I don't dare say anything in order not to disturb him as I feel my cheek only to realize that I'm bleeding from where I was stroke by that man earlier and the edge of my brow is also slightly bleeding.

The large man stops rowing once we're only a few inches away from the massive ship and he carefully stands up in the center of the row boat and knocks onto the ship. A few minutes passes until a few ropes drop down from the ship and Dormer quickly secures the ropes onto the hooks of the row boat before giving them a sharp tug and the row bow starts ascending slowly. Dormer never sits back down as we keep on going up and grabs me the moment we reach the top and the men on the deck quickly grabs onto the boat and pulls it onto the deck. Without a single word, Dormer lifts me up like I'm nothing at all and hands me over to the same man who had guided me back to the Grace that night in Donau.

“Little bird is bleeding, someone take him to his cage. See to that cut.” Dormer instructs his comrade as he steps out of the row boat and I quickly try to push the man away from me only for him to hold on to me tighter in his arms to prevent me from fleeing.

I don’t want to be locked up inside of a cage! I don’t want to be a prisoner again!

“Dormer this one’s a wild one!” Another voices out with much amusement as he comes closer towards me and this one is just like all the others. Dressed in a similar fashion as the others on this ship but he's not a giant like Dormer or the one who's holding me but I don't like the look in his eyes. They resemble the eyes of the man who got his insides spilled out onto the ground by Dormer. “He doesn't seem like your type Dormer.” He adds.

The man grabs my chin and lifts my head up as if he wants to further inspect my face. He licks his lower lip as he looks at me from head to toe before turning his gaze towards the other men on the ship. I quickly jerk my head and sink my teeth into his hand forcing him to let go of my face and yank his hand away leaving me with a metallic taste in my mouth.

“Damn brat! He fucking bite me!” He barks as he stares at his hand and I don’t know why I did that. My body just moved on it’s own and I know that I shouldn’t have done that and by the look in his eyes I know I’m going to pay for it dearly for what I just did and the taste of blood in my mouth is making me nauseous. “I’m going to beat the living shit out of you, you fucking brat-”

“You will do no such thing.” Another voice states. 

The guy that’s holding me quickly drags me backwards further away from the man who had only been inches away from striking me in the face just now for almost biting off his index finger. Dormer casually takes a stand in front of me as if he's now on guard duty or something.

“My lord, he bit a chunk right off.” The man says as he holds out his hand in the air for his commander to see.

I hear slow and steady footsteps coming closer and a young man comes out from the shadows with a thick black cloak hanging over his shoulders and the men quickly scatter away from the man of whom I just bite but even though the commander seems young, this man isn’t someone to be messed with. Is that really the Stone Commander? The New liege lord of the Islanders? 

“Yes he did. You also happen to look like a mad dog and the boy is filled with fright.” The commander calmly says without placing much care in his tone as he spoke to his soldier. “Besides, you’ll be losing much more than a chunk of skin if you strike your prince.” He adds with the same indifferent tone but considering how the man’s finger is dangling so loosely, I wouldn’t really call that losing a chunk of skin. That man has every right to be angry towards me. I bite his finger almost right off his hand and the blood that's dripping down my chin further confirms it.

“That brat is the prince!?” The man asks, giving me a menacing glare and disgust.

The man who had been holding me tightly in his arms suddenly loosens his grip of me and lays his hands on my shoulders but I don’t dare to move and all I can do is gaze around nervously, not knowing what is going to happen. The tension on this ship is suffocating.

“Strike your prince and you’ll lose the hand. Kill your prince and you’ll have your head mounted on a spike to rot in the sun for a very long time.” The commander tells the man and I feel the tension grow in the air as every Islanders are quietly watching. “We got what we came here for, we go home.” The commander adds.

“Fuck the king!” The soldier barks back at his commander and then looks towards me as he spits on the ground, “And fuck the prince!”

“Fuck the king?” The commander asks as he takes a step forward to his soldier but from his tone, he’s not asking a question and he’s not expecting an answer either. “I serve the king and the prince will be my king someday, so are you telling your liege lord to go fuck himself?” The commander asks, his voice calm but with a malicious hint present in his tone.

“That’s not-”

“I’m your liege lord and what I say goes and I won’t have any misconduct on my ship.” The commander quickly cuts the man off who has grown somewhat nervous. “Dormer, if you’d be so kind as to present Murray to the irons, he seems to have forgotten his place around here.” He casually orders as the man called Murray’s eyes suddenly widens. 

“My pleasure.” Dormer answers grabbing Murray by the collar of his shirt, dragging the man by the scuff of his neck towards a large stone plate with burning hot coals scattered on it and laying on top of the hot coals are long metal blocks.

“My lord!” Murray yells but the commander doesn’t give any attention to him as he silently watches Dormer do what he just ordered without blinking.

“Make sure it covers half of his face, it will definitely terrify the enemies.” He further orders Dormer.

“My lord! I beg you!” Murray begs and Dormer roughly kicks his comrade behind his legs causing him to fall on his knees as he struggles to prevent Dormer from sticking his face onto the hot metal blocks.

The commander can’t surely be serious. If Dormer sticks that man’s face onto those he’ll be disfigured for the rest of his life.

No one is daring to say anything but no one is daring to help Dormer punish one of their comrades either. Everyone has grown silent as the grave and all you can hear is Murray still pleading with his lord for mercy but the commander keeps on ignoring him. I’m not even sure if he even cares but this is wrong.

“Stop! Stop it!” I shout as I step forward only for the man behind me to hold me back, preventing me from reaching Dormer.

“Hold!” The commander shouts and Dormer stops but keeps on holding Murray’s face only inches away from the hot metal bars. “There is something you wish to say your grace?” The commander asks as he looks at me. His expression and tone somewhat gentle now as he spoke to me as if there's nothing happening.

I don’t get this man. I don’t get a single one of these Islanders. Murray is one of them. He’s their comrade and yet they are perfectly fine to watch him get his face burned like it’s nothing. As if it’s something normal.

“Stop this madness.” I order but I’m not exactly sure if it can be called an order but more than enough blood has been spilled for one night. I don’t need anyone else to get injured because of me.

“This man has just threatened his grace; you wish to show him mercy?” The commander asks in the same gentle tone and I feel all eyes are on me, waiting for my response rather eagerly and whatever I say will determined Murray's fate.

“I do. Show him mercy, my lord.” I answer and I see a sense of relief form in Murray’s expression.

“Very well then, let him go.” The commander orders. His tone no longer gentle and Dormer releases his grip of the man as he walks back over to me and the man holding me lets me go. “Dormer take the prince to my cabin, I’ll be there shortly. I need to settle something first.” The commander orders in a cold tone and my head jolts towards his direction.

“You said you’d show mercy-!”

“Come on little bird, you don’t need to see this.” Dormer cuts me off as he grabs me with one arm, lifting me off my feet as he walks away towards the cabin that's under the quarter deck, ignoring as I struggle to make him let go of me but he doesn’t lose his grip at all as if I'm not even doing anything to hinder him and enters the cabin with much ease. 

He drops me onto a bed and walks away towards the entrance, closing the large french doors and proceeds to stand in front of them as if trying to invite me to try and get pass him if I can but I know it would be completely useless for me to even try. There's no way I can overpower this man.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Sugo**

Dormer’s way of taking people away will always be iconic to me no matter how many times I see him do it. He always takes the easy road and goes with the, “I’m going to carry you like a sack of potatoes under my arm or over my shoulder whether you like it or not.” It doesn’t really matter who it is, they all share the same fate. Whether they are high or low borns, it really doesn't matter to Dormer. It never matters what it is. He always opts for the easy method and thanks to his size there's never much that the unfortunate soul can do about it much to their dismay.

Anyway, I must say that the prince is much greener than I had initially expected. I knew he grew up in a sheltered environment but I was expecting a bit more from him. However, he may be green but at least he definitely has some spunk so there's still some hope there. Unfortunately, he's got a long way to go I'm afraid. But I must say, I'm rather impressed at the strength of his jaw. He almost bite Murray's finger right off.

“I didn’t come here for a fucking brat! I came here to fight!” Murray spat as he applies some pressure to his almost severed finger.

“That brat just saved your face and maybe even your life.” I reply back and add, “And since I follow the orders of the king and also those of the prince, if he orders me to kill you I will do it without a second thought so know your place.”

“I agree with the old lords, we should be able to rule ourselves-”

“Your old lords are dead!” I quickly cut Murray off as I give him a sharp glare for even daring to say such a thing. “Seven years ago, no one gave a damn about the Islanders. They could rot for all everyone cared but I saw potential and the king agreed. And it was the king that provided a royal pardon for all of you.” I say as I gaze around to catch the eyes of my men.

Fifty years ago, the liege lord and the noble Islander lords wanted to rule themselves. They wanted their lands to be an independent country and separate from Ilindor completely. They knew very well that what they were doing was treason. They knew but they still attempted it anyway as they ignored the well-beings of their people. They started a rebellion against the crown that was completely pointless since they were severely out numbered. All because the former liege lord wanted to become king himself by any means necessary. He became greedy and in the end his greed cost him his life and all of those in his house.

“We’re not garbage!” Murray barks back.

“No you’re not and the king doesn’t think so either.” I state.

I know very well how the Islanders feel about the crown and I understand their ill will towards the king. But, they need to understand now that the king who ordered the execution of all the Islander nobles is not the current king. The king that they serve now is not the one who made the decree to have every Islanders prisoner on their home islands. It wasn't the current king that forbade the usage of their ships which forced many family members to be separated for fifty years.

All that was taken away from them was done by the former king and I would be lying if I'd say that I agree with that man's decisions. I understand that he needed to take action and show his power but there were other ways of handling things. Was the killing of all the nobles a reasonable course of action? That, sort of since it was them who pulled the strings but forbidding the Islanders, the innocent people who had nothing to do with the decisions of their lords, well that was taking things a bit too far.

I wouldn't be serving the king if I didn't have respect for the man. He's nothing like his father, the current king is a good man and the Islanders must learn to see it. I wouldn't ask them to serve someone that I did not respect but I can't ignore a large factor that keeps eating at my men.

Ever since the former lords of the Stone Islands failed in their rebellion. A stigma has followed the Islanders for the last fifty years. Even now, after seven years of loyal services to the crown that stigma keeps on following them. 

To the people around Ilindor, the Islanders are oath breakers, untrustworthy and savages. Due to that, I can understand why my men are frustrated and angry. I really do but it will take more than seven years to fix the past mistakes that were made due to foolish greedy men who had once been their lords.

“Everything that was taken has been restored to the Islanders. You were all given more than what you had before and that’s how you repay the crown? By the desire to rebel against the very person who gave you all a second chance?” I ask, quickly catching a glimpse of my men’s eyes.

After I became a commander in the royal navy, I left the capital and went to the Stone Islands with only one purpose and that was to gain their loyalty and respect and I did exactly that. Once I had accomplished that, I returned to the capital where I was able to get an audience with the king in person. It was at that audience that I gave him the offer of being able to bring the Islanders back into the fold under one condition. That they be free men and women again. The king didn't hesitate to grant me what I had asked for but he didn't just grant them their freedom. He took care of them with various provisions that the Islands could not provide itself. And after seven years, the Stone Islands have highly flourished as if nothing had ever happened.

“No… My apologies my lord.” Murray answers.

“But the next time you disobey my orders and threaten the prince or the king again. I’ll have you thrown overboard to the sharks. Do I make myself clear?” I tell him and he gives me a light nod and I step closer towards him for only him to hear. “You’ll get your chance to fight, just not today.”

Murray nods again before going below deck and the men quickly return to their post.

“Kane, turn this ship around for Octavia.” I order.

“Will do my lord.” He replies back and climbs up the staircase to the quarter deck and I retreat into my cabins only to find Dormer standing guard in front of the doors and the prince silently sitting on a bed with his face still stained in blood. I don't think he even attempted to clean himself either.

“Leave us.” I order and Dormer steps out without saying a single word and closes the door behind him but I can tell, he’s standing guard outside of the door. As expected, he won’t allow a single person to come near the prince unless I command him to.

“You promised to be merciful.” The prince quickly voices out as he stands up to meet my gaze the moment the door closes and now I understand. He's fearful of Dormer. He doesn't dare to act in his presence so if he stays quiet and still in Dormer's presence and he behaves the complete opposite with me. It can only mean that he fears Dormer more than he fears me.

Smart.

He might be green but he’s not without a strong fierceness and for his sake he’ll surely need it if he is to survive what is coming. But, he is so naive and seriously it’s time he learns how the world really turns. I simply hope that the harsh reality won’t break him but I have faith that his spirit is strong. He'll pull through because he has to.

“I did, he’s alive and well. This is however my ship and those are my men and I’m their liege lord. I will not have any misconduct on my ship, it is my duty your grace to keep my men in order as I see fit.” I reply back but from the look he's giving me he doesn't seem very convinced.

Actually the whole ordeal was simply a test on my part. I wanted to see the prince's real nature, I wanted to see how he would react in a stressful situation. None of my men were aware of my plan. Murray simply ended up being the pawn of it all due to his infamous temper but things couldn't have gone any better if I had tried to plan it all from scratch.

My intentions were not to burn Murray’s face but it needed to be real. And I needed someone who’d be more than willing to do the deed in case the prince didn’t object to my orders and Dormer delivered a perfect performance. I needed the situation to feel real on both sides but more importantly I wanted the Islanders to see their future ruler.

The prince didn’t have to give mercy to Murray, what he did was treason. No matter the circumstances, you never threaten your prince or your king and he threatened both. But, the prince showed mercy and even though it doesn’t seem like much it’s a huge thing in the eyes of the Islanders. Tonight, the prince has gained their respect and now I can think of other more pressing matters that needs my attention.

“Why is this ship turning? Where are we going?” The prince asks as the ship tilts at quite an angular position for a few minutes before it straightens itself again.

“The Stone Islands.” I answer.

“No, I have to go to Harrenhall!” He quickly protests.

Harrenhall, the legendary mighty fortress held by the Umbers for over a thousand of years. Yes that is quite a grand idea and I wonder if it’s something that the prince came up by himself or if it was fed to him by lord Richmond but either way I can understand the reason behind wanting to go to Harrenhall though.

“What about lord Richmond? What happened to him!?” He further asks and I can’t help but let out a long sigh.

“At Emerald Harbor dealing with his affairs I assume.” I answer back.

“There’s an active rebellion, we have to help him!” He tells me.

“We? You’ve never fought a battle, that’s quite apparent.” I reply back and add, “I have sixty men, and such a number is never enough to ease a rebellion, your grace.”

“Then you’re completely fine leaving him for dead!?” He asks and that’s exactly how it is.

Lord Richmond was a fool. A good man but none the less a fool. He allowed his subordinates to walk all over him for far too long and in this world, kindness is a good thing but when you’re a lord you can’t rule a mass of people with kindness alone. You need order and authority otherwise if not, you’ll be finding yourself with a long horizontal gash on your throat.

The thing is that it's not the common people that the liege lords have to keep an eye on. It's the smaller lords that pose the greatest threat. Some are loyal to their liege lord but others, not so much. They claim loyalty in your face but in reality they are just waiting for an opening in order to make their move and rise to power in return. It's similar to what's happening right now in this country actually. Many noble houses are starting to show their true colours. One by one, they will show their treachery towards the crown and the fall of the Richmonds are just the beginning.

“I can’t do anything for lord Richmond.” I admit and that is the honest truth.

The Islanders would indeed go into battle if I ordered them to do so but where would be the point of sending men out to fight when you know they can’t win? I don’t intend to send my men off to die for nothing. 

The affairs of the Richmonds are their business and not mine. We Islanders have no business butting our nose into their affairs just as much as we wouldn't want anyone to butt their nose into ours. As a fellow liege lord, all I can do is pray that everything turns out for the best.

“He was going to take me to Harrenhall, can you at least take me there?” The prince asks and there it is again. Harrenhall. I could swear that the word has been branded onto his tongue.

“Your grace, we are Islanders which means our strength lies with our ships.” I tell him as I sit down but never removing my eyes off him as I continue, “We are not land soldiers so no. I cannot take you to Harrenhall but you are my prince and my future king and therefor I will protect you and that’s why I’m taking you to the Stone Islands.”

I might be able to succeed in bringing the prince to Harrenhall with the men that I currently have if I try. I know that if any battle would ensure, Dormer and Kane would indeed be able to crush their enemies without problem but it would be a dangerous gamble to take. It’s a gamble that I’m simply not willing to take when it involves the prince directly.

When it comes to soldiers, the Umbers and the Islanders are at complete opposite ends of the scale. We are simply two different sides of the same coin. Both forces have strong armies and loyal soldiers but one stands best on land while the other stands best on the sea.

My priorities at the moment until being told otherwise is to protect the prince at all cost until I know exactly who we are dealing with and the best way I can do that is on my own lands and the best place to do that is on Octavia. Umber may hold the strongest fortress on land but I hold the strongest fortress on water.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 10.5**

**Ginoza**

“Your grace, we are Islanders which means our strength lies with our ships.” The commander tells me as he sits down behind a small wooden table without taking his eyes off me as he continued, “We are not land soldiers so no. I cannot take you to Harrenhall but you are my prince and my future king and therefor I will protect you and that’s why I’m taking you to the Stone Islands.”

I don’t know anything about the Stone Islands themselves. Maester Aemon never attempted to teach me about their history and culture much. It’s like he never saw it necessary for me to learn about them or he simply didn’t care…

I don’t understand much about warfare. I won’t deny it but I don’t get what’s the difference between land soldiers or whatever kind of soldiers the Islanders view themselves as. To me, soldiers are soldiers and I’ve seen how one Islander fights. Dormer sure didn’t have any problems to kill his targets on land and I’ll assume that the others must be the same as him but then again, I don’t know anything about warfare.

The commander gets back up, pours some water into a bowl before dipping a piece of cotton cloth into the liquid and comes closer towards me. He presses the water soaked cloth onto my brow causing me to wince as it starts stinging.

“It’s not deep.” He states as he gently dabs and further inspects my brow as he rinses the cloth into the water and gently dabs my face to wash off the dried up blood.

“Outch.” I wince again as the cloth touches the cut on my cheek but he doesn't seem to be very bothered that he keeps hurting me each time he touches my face.

How can simple water sting so much? If I didn’t know any better I would have thought it was some sort of alcohol or something but the liquid itself is scentless compared to how alcohol smells like and well, wine is usually red anyway.

“Is it the first time you’ve been struck, your grace?” The commander asks as he continues to wash my face and I wish that he would stop already. The left side of my face is aching so much and when I touched my cheek earlier it felt somewhat swollen.

“Yes…” I mutter.

I'm a prince and to strike a prince would be punishable by death so no one has ever dared to touch me because they know better to do so but I've never been problematic towards the people who have been assigned to serve me. I don't try to give them a hard time, I just try to make their jobs much easier. Anyway, my father is free from the law about striking royalty since he's my father but even he has never laid a hand on me because he never had to. I'm not perfect, nobody is perfect but I'd like to think that I'm not a terrible person…

“Those men, they hated me. They never met me before but they hated me.” I mutter the words as I remember each of their faces. The look in the eyes of the man who had been on top of me, they were full of hate and rage.

“You are everything that they will never have your grace. Your horse eats better than their children.” The commander tells me but it’s impossible that those men could have recognized me. They were simply common men and most common people in the capital have never seen me before so the chances that they knew who I was, was probably very slim but I guess my clothing kind of say that my social standing was much higher than theirs.

“I would have given them food if I had any.” I say.

If hunger was what caused the people to rebel, I would have fed them all if I could have but if the common people accepted to rebel against their liege lord, I have to wonder exactly what the Richmond had been doing. How could they have allowed their people to starve? How could they have allowed such a thing to come to that point?

“I know you would have but stop thinking about those men, they are dead now.” The commander says, taking me out of my thoughts.

They are dead now… Dormer saw to that. He never gave one of them a chance to flee and he even ignored as one tried to plea for his life but it did little good for him. Dormer didn’t care at all; he simply cut them down one by one without any remorse.

I know what those men did was horrible but did they deserve to die? They could have received punishment for their actions and be given a second chance for life. Maybe they could have done some great things in the future if they had been given a chance but now we'll never know.

“Are you truly loyal to my father?” I ask as he finishes washing my face.

“Might be hard to believe but yes I am.” He answers as he reaches for a brownish paste and gently applies it on my cuts. “And you’ve somehow gotten good grace with my barbarian giant. You’re officially his little bird.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” I quickly ask.

A barbarian giant is a fitting title for a man like Dormer but exactly what does that even mean? That I’m officially his little bird? I mean, yeah I know he’s been calling me that ever since he met me back in Donau but I didn’t pay much attention to it. To be honest, I kind of find it creepy how he keeps calling me that. Little bird… Exactly what those that even mean anyway?

“I have no idea.” The commander replies as he walks away from me and goes back to the small table.

“That’s comforting…” I mutter back.

“Your grace, Dormer won’t hurt you but he’ll hurt anyone you want him to.” He suddenly tells me as he puts away a few things back into their little boxes that laid scattered onto the table.

Dormer wouldn't hurt me but he'd hurt anyone that I would want to. Exactly what kind of person does the commander think that I am? I'm not like him, I wouldn't try to get one of my soldier's face burned just because of a mistake. I'm better than that.

“Is that supposed to make me feel any better?” I ask.

“Yes.” He answers as he turns to face me and continues with his gaze upon me. “Dormer has expressed his desire to be part of your personal guards and for him to express such a thing is one thing altogether. He won’t fail you, that I give you my word, your grace.”

I’m not exactly sure how I would feel about that. If Dormer would become one of my personal guards it would mean that he’d be constantly with me almost twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Even more, I don’t even know why he would even want to serve as my personal guard to begin with just like I’m not sure why he even came for me back at Emerald Harbor.

Back in Donau, I know that Dormer didn’t recognize me as his prince and I’m sure that his friend didn’t either. Yes they knew that I was heading to the Harbor to meet lord Richmond but they had no idea that I was the prince and yet the Dread came for me. This whole thing is really creepy, the ship is creepy, everything about this is creeping me out.

“I’m just a prince; you don’t have to call me your grace.” I tell him. The only person who is called your grace is my father. It’s a title only given to kings, not princes. Of all people, a liege lord should know that.

“I say it because I want to say it.” The commander states.

This man seems to do and say what he wants a lot. It makes me wonder exactly how he even became liege lord of the Stone Islands in the first place. Did my father choose him and if so, why him? I mean, can this man be a good liege lord if he's more than willing to mutilate one of his men for simply speaking out of terms?

“Is my father even searching for me?” I ask, trying to change the subject since it's obviously not going anywhere.

“Yes, he sent many knights out searching for you but this was a delicate situation. He didn’t want to cause a mass panic with the people.” He answers what I had figured earlier. 

With me suddenly gone missing, to rise the alarm that I had been attacked and abducted could have sent the people into a mass panic and not to mention it could have encouraged some houses to betray my father also now that his only son and heir has gone missing.

“And he sent you to search for me at sea?” I ask.

“No, I chose my men and set sailed by my own accord.” He quickly replies so does that mean that my father has no idea that the Islanders have set sailed?

“Why?” The word quickly blurts out.

The commander should know more than anyone how sensitive the position of the Islanders are. They are known as traitors to the crown and it was my father who restored their former positions for whatever reason that I don't know for but acting without the king’s permission could be dangerous for them. It could look like a sign of rebellion on their part. Considering the current situation, it wouldn't take much for such actions to be seen as a threat to the crown. Maybe there will be some who will start rumors that the Islanders were the ones who ambushed us in the king's wood and abducted me to spark a new rebellion.

“Because you are my prince.” The commander softly states.

Who is this man?

In the last seven years I’ve never seen him once at the Tearling. I knew there was a new liege lord for the Stone Islands but I didn’t know anything else about him. I didn’t know how he looked like until now, I don’t even know his name and yet he seems so devoted to me and my father but why?

“Will you fight for me if it ever calls for it?” I ask as I remember what lord Richmond told me. Men follow strength beyond everything else but real strength isn’t about being a superb soldier. Real strength is about gaining the loyalty and respect of the people by your own merits.

“Die for you if I must.” He responds without removing his eyes off me.

“Swear to me.” I order as I rise to my feet. I'm not exactly sure why I quickly blurted those words out and I almost feel stupid for even ordering him that since he probably already swore to my father and to the crown so I'm basically making him do it again. I'm an idiot.

The commander draws out his blade from its sheath before taking a step forward and kneels in front of me as he holds out his blade flat in both hands towards me as if offering the large blade to me.

“The Islanders are yours and so is Teppei Sugo, liege lord of the Stone Islands. My sword is yours. My life is yours. My heart is yours.” He tells me never lowering his gaze from mine.

I feel my heart start beating harder, I suddenly feel nervous but I don’t know why. I guess that I didn’t think that he would actually do it but he did without an ounce of hesitation in his actions or his tone. I know he meant every word by the look in his eyes but I still don’t understand why he would be willing to be this loyal to me. I know I’m his prince but still…

Anyway, now I know what his name is without having to ask him for it. I honestly had no idea how to ask him such a thing. After all, I should know the name of all liege lords in my kingdom and yet I don’t. There are so many to memorize, I don’t know how my father does it.

“The sun will be rising soon; you need to be off this ship by then.” Sugo tells me as he sheaths back his sword as he gets up and now I’m confused. He said that he wanted to protect me, that he would die for me if need be and now he wants me off his ship in the middle of the ocean of all places.

“What?” I blurt out the question as I watch him grab a pair of pants and quickly rolls it up.

“You’re going to need this, don’t lose it.” He says as he gives me the rolled up pants and walks out of the cabin and I follow him closely behind with even more confusion. What am I going to do with a pair of pants? I already have pants.

“Everything is ready my lord.” The guy from before says to Sugo.

“Well done Kane.” Sugo tells him before turning his attention towards me and leads me to the side of the ship where a roped ladder has been hooked on. “We are not too far from Octavia and the morning fog will hide you until you get to the city. Once there, make yourself comfortable within the castle walls and we’ll speak once I arrive.” He tells me.

I look down below, there's so much fog that I can't see the water which doesn't help to ease my mind. I force myself to remove my gaze down below and return it towards Sugo.

“This is madness.” I blurt out.

“This is politics your grace.” He replies, his facial expression back to when I had first met him moments before he had ordered his soldier Murray to get his face burned.

I can’t believe for a minute I thought this man was actually sane. He’s completely the opposite of sane, no sane man would ever make someone climb down a ship using a ladder made out of rope. Anyway, does he honestly expect me to swim all the way to the Stone Islands? I don’t even know which island is Octavia, only thing I know is that there is only one city on each island and that’s it.

With the serious expression that Sugo is giving me, I guess there’s really no point in arguing about this. Obviously the commander already made up his mind a while ago but still, this is completely crazy.

I let out a sigh as I shove the rolled up pants inside of my vest for safe keeping even though I still have no idea what I’m supposed to need it for. I climb over the safety wall as I carefully grab onto the roped ladder and start climbing down the ship until I reach the bottom when I feel something touch my legs and I quickly look down to see what it is.

“Kougami!?” I blurt out and he gives me a smile.

“You’re a pain to chase after you know that?” He tells me and I can’t help but smile back as he turns around, his back facing me and looks over his shoulder. “Hold on, it won’t take long.” He tells me and I allow myself to drop into the water, wrapping my arms around his torso.

The roped ladder starts being pulled upwards and Kougami starts swimming away from the ship. I never thought I’d ever see him again…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Kougami**

“We’re here.” I state the moment I hit the surface and Ginoza quickly lets go of me and waste little time to climb out of the water.

I must say, I was rather enjoying having him so close to me. It felt good having him hold me ever so tightly, his body pressed against mine. But hey, it was pleasant while it lasted. I can’t ask for more than that.

“How long have you been conspiring with the Islanders?” He asks as I pull myself up onto the edge and by the look he’s giving me, I feel as if his question is more like an inquiry order. He expects a full answer of which I can’t blame him but still, what is with the attitude all a sudden? 

“Since last night but I had a run in with them the same day you ran away from me actually” I answer. “I got caught in fishing stuff near the port of Fueno; it would have turned out bad for me if it hadn’t been for them.” I further explain.

“So you used them in order to find me.” He tells me with a somewhat stubborn tone in his voice of which I simply do not get.

No matter how you look at it, the Islanders basically saved his life. There’s no questioning that and he even knows that I cooperated with them in order to locate and save him. Even though he knows all of this, I get this feeling, this vibe that Ginoza doesn’t seem to trust me at all. It’s like he’s wary of me for some reason and the only thing that I can come up with that makes any sense on why he would be this way is if someone fed him more lies about my people…

I won't deny that I did two major mistakes with Ginoza, that I admit and I’m completely at fault for. I shouldn’t have approached him the way that I did when we first met. I shouldn’t have tried to touch him, to kiss him. I should have known better than to do such a thing but I was being selfish. I was only thinking about myself at the time and for that, I was wrong. Truly, I was wrong because I refused to see who he was and after I did see who he is as a person I grew fond of him.

I was a fool without a doubt but I didn’t do enough damage to myself it would seem. I just had to ask him to abandon his human life of all things. I just had to ask him to come with me instead of fulfilling his duties on the land. Seriously, what was it that I was expecting? Of course he’s wary of me. But even so, his sudden attitude towards me isn’t truly justified either on his part.

“No, I found you in Donau all by myself. I knew which ship you were on; I just didn’t know where you were going.” I reply, catching Ginoza’s eyes in the process. I could swear that there's a fire burning deep inside of those emerald orbs of his.

“So you found the commander and told him on which ship I was on and you got him to follow it.” He further says, his attitude not seeming to waver at all.

I really do not get him right now. He seemed rather happy to see me when he climbed down the Islanders’ ship earlier. He didn’t hesitate to drop down into the ocean and he was very cooperative during the entire travel to the Octavian Cave. But now, since we arrived here, he’s being rather distant from me and I do not like the attitude that he’s giving me. Did something happen on that ship that I’m not aware of and he somewhat blames me for it?

“I heard a large human talking, saying how a little bird was going to Emerald Harbor. He wanted to follow it and he happened to mention the ship this little bird was on. So, I connected the dots that he was probably talking about you and I took a gamble.” I explain and add, “The gamble paid off, you could have been killed.”

Everything that happened that night was all up to chance. I found where Ginoza was all by pure luck and it was simply coincidence that an Islanders’ ship was docked in Donau for the night too. Even so, all I cared about was to stay close to the ship called the Grace. I didn’t want to miss it when it would have set sailed since I didn’t know where it was going so I ignored the Islanders for the large part of the night.

During the early morning, some humans caught my attention. By how they were dressed I knew it was the Islanders but the one that caught my eye was the giant man. I quickly recognized him as being the one who had been holding me down while the commander was cutting off the ropes that were tangled up around me in Fueno. I knew then that they were probably the same men so I got closer and listened to what they were talking about.

The giant expressed his desire to do a quick stop to Emerald Harbor because of a little bird that he wanted to keep an eye on. His desire resulted in the others to laugh at his foolish intention. The laughter raged on until the commander showed up and all went quiet as their liege lord spoke. He told them how they were bound for the Iron Wall and their next stop would be there without question. So, that’s when I took on a gamble and approached them. I confessed everything about the last few days and about Ginoza being on board of the Grace. But I was an idiot… I took my eyes off the Grace for far too long. It didn’t feel like it was long but when I turned around to look back at the ship, it was already gone. Because of my mistake, we were behind but we still managed to reach Emerald Harbor just in time.

“He’s a strange man, the commander.” Ginoza states taking me out of my thoughts but this time his tone is much softer now. So was he just trying on interrogating me or something? If so, he needs a lot more practice, he doesn’t have it in him.

“Strange indeed but you can trust him because I do.” I tell him which is already strange enough for me to trust a human but strange enough, I do. 

The Stone Commander is an odd man, he’s a very skilled liar and yet an honest man none the less. He’s definitely good at playing the game that’s called politics that's for sure. Ginoza could learn a lot from him if he pays attention that is.

I must admit though that I had been rather nervous about going near Emerald harbor. After all, the waters there are so clear that it’s pretty much impossible for my people to hide and so many of us have died in those waters. So, I had to completely depend on the Islanders and when I saw the harbor was on fire, the fear suddenly crept down at me.

When I saw the harbor was on fire, I knew it was a coup. It was definitely a form of rebellion and knowing that there are some who are currently conspiring against the king, I deeply feared for Ginoza's well-being. He definitely would have made a pretty gift to whoever is the new lord of Emerald Harbor and in turn, the new liege lord could have used Ginoza as a bargaining chip to a new king.

I honestly didn't know what to think when only one man was lowered into a rowing boat to go to shore. Only the giant human was the one who left in search for Ginoza. To me, such a thing was complete madness and yet the giant succeeded into retrieving Ginoza alive and somewhat unharmed if I ignore the cut on his brow and cheek.

“Kougami what are you doing?” Ginoza asks as I carefully drag myself further away from the water.

“Going with you, I’m going to need a few minutes though.” I answer as I lean my bare back against a stone wall.

“Kougami you’re a merman. You can’t follow me but thank you for helping me and thank you for saving me the other night.” He tells me as if he thinks that will be enough to convince me from doing otherwise. I do appreciate the gratitude though. He's not just saying it for the sake of saying it but he really does mean it and that means a lot to me. It really does.

I’ve made up my mind a while ago, I made a promise to myself and I plan on keeping it until the very end. I promised myself if I ever was to meet Ginoza again in the flesh; if fate would allow me this grace. I promised myself that I would follow him and keep him safe until the very end even if it would cost me my own life.

Ginoza is much too naive for his own good, the humans who want to bring him harm will eat him alive at this point. Ginoza can’t survive this chaos on his own. If he is to survive in this world, He will need wise council. And if he’ll have me, I will do everything in my power to provide it to him.

I would like to count myself as an honorable man and he has a strong ally on his side. The Stone Commander will fight for him until his last breath that’s without any doubt. He’ll fight for Ginoza’s honor and he will be able to provide good council but in order for everything to work, Ginoza will have to listen and I deeply hope that he will. For his sake and that of his people that he seems to love so much, he has to.

“You’re welcome but I’m not done. I’m going to be following you like a damn hawk from now on.” I further tell him resulting in Ginoza giving me an odd look as if he's not taking me seriously at all.

I guess it can’t really be helped since how I currently look. I do sound like a total idiot right now but being out of the water for so long, I already feel my scales tightening with each passing second. I know what is coming soon and that's not going to be a pleasant period but the pain will be worth it in the end.

“Kougami I don’t need you to-” Ginoza starts telling me only to stop mid-sentence as his eyes widen in shock or in horror. Either way, I guess it doesn’t really matter. What’s happening to me right now isn’t really a pleasant experience on both ends nor is it really a pretty sight to behold. “Kougami! Your tail!” He exclaims as he quickly kneels down to me, his eyes obviously filled with concern for what is happening to me right before his eyes.

“If you’re not in a rush, I could use a minute. It hurts more than it looks.” I tell him as I force a smile through the pain.

I look down at my tail as I watch the once blue vibrant scales slowly start to turn grey to black before disintegrating completely. With each scale that crumbles away sends a jolt of pain throughout my body and slowly as my tail keeps on disintegrating, I start seeing the colour of pale flesh and the formation of two strong human legs.

“But how?” Ginoza asks, his eyes glued onto what is left of my tail, not really sure exactly what he should be doing.

“We don’t need water to live. We remain in our aquatic form as long as our tail remains wet in salted water but once it dries we can shed our scales and pretend to be humans.” I explain and continue, “We can return to our former selves by returning to the ocean. But, we must do so before every new moon otherwise we’ll never be able to return to our aquatic forms ever again.”

It’s something that we are all told at a very young age and it’s the one thing that the elders keep on reminding us over and over again to the point that it’s one of the most boring topics for a conversation. But, it’s still a harsh reality that many didn’t take seriously and paid the price for their ignorance.

Many of my people decided that it would be fun to live both human lives and a life under the vast ocean. To be honest, I can’t blame them because the world on the land is quite beautiful but you can easily lose track of time and many couldn’t keep up. They became immersed in their human lives to the point that they no longer paid any attention to the moon. They failed to return to the sea before the new moon and in the end they lost their ability to return to the ocean. Of course other full blooded Merpeople can turn them back as if nothing happened but in doing so would unleash the wrath of Poseidon, our mighty king. To him, anyone who act so carelessly and loses their aquatic form do not deserve to be given a second chance to live under the ocean.

It is said and to be honest I'm not exactly certain if it is true but it is said that the first ancestors of the Islanders were Merpeople who failed to return to the ocean. It is said that their first civilization had been the great water city of Atlantica and their numbers quickly grew and they expanded their territory onto other islands and eventually formed the infamous Stone Islands but then again it's just rumors that I've heard. I'm not even sure if it is true but it would make sense. I've never seen any human civilization who worship my people so much as the Islanders does.

“You’re insane.” Ginoza exclaims but I can’t say otherwise because it is rather insane what I’m doing but this is my choice and I have every right to do this. This is not a selfish act on my part. I’m doing this to help Ginoza because he desperately needs it even if he refuses to admit it. And I know that my king will understand my actions but I will do everything that I can to honor the law. I will return to the sea before the new moon.

“Maybe so but it’s not that bad.” I tell him as I grab his wrists and pull him towards me, causing him to fall onto my lap, his face so close to mine. “Something is different about you, you seem less innocent.” I state as I carefully observe his expression.

I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t feel it was my place but I can’t continue to ignore it. Ever since I laid eyes on him back at the ship, there’s something different about him. There was a scent on his skin that wasn't his and even though he’s been in the ocean for some time it’s still faintly there and I hate it. He's been tainted with another human's scent, it's disgusting!

He feels less innocent than how he was on the first day that we met back in the cave and yet he’s still just as naive as before so that hasn't changed.

“Nothing has changed.” He quickly states but he can’t hide the growing tint of redness on his cheeks.

“Then why are you turning red?” I ask which further causes his face to flush.

“You’re so indecent!” He shouts back at me as he tries to pull his wrists free from me but I don’t allow him to do so.

“You kept yourself busy under Richmond’s roof for the short amount of time you were there.” I say as I continue to observe his expression and for a slight second his eyes widen and my assumptions are proven correct much to my dismay.

Considering how Ginoza behaved with me when we first met, I didn’t think of him as the type who would simply give it all away on such a whim but I guess I was wrong and I must say that I’m rather disappointed in him.

Noble men and most noble women know nothing about love. They don’t court, they simply arrange marriages to complete unknowns by their parents and that’s it. Love isn’t known as a necessity to them so I don’t expect any human to know what true love is or to even understand and cherish the meaning of the first time.

Intimacy between two individual isn’t just about the pleasure. It’s a testimony about two unique individuals’ feelings that they have for one another. It becomes even more important when one of them is still pure and innocent because even though they might be afraid during their most vulnerable moment, they willingly give themselves up to their lover as a declaration of their faith and trust. It’s a special moment that marks one’s step further into adulthood and for that, it should be cherish for all that it is and not because of lust.

I knew that Ginoza was naive but I didn’t think that he would allow himself to be manipulated into doing such an act without even knowing the meaning behind it but should it really surprise me…? All noble men has had a few flings before being wed. Ginoza isn’t any different… He’s still human, a foolish human none the less but still a human.

“Ginoza how old are you exactly?” I ask the dreaded question.

“I’m not turning sixteen for another month. Why?” He answers and I wish someone would just slap me in the face right about now.

Okay I knew he wasn’t older than sixteen but I was at least hoping that he had reached it by now and was actually on his way to the age of seventeen. It would have sounded less awful considering what he did during his short time under Richmond's roof but the shame lies to the one who manipulated him into doing such a thing in the first place. Ginoza is nothing more than a child!

“You’re a child.” I state.

“I’m not a child.” He barks back and I have to control the urge to shake him in order to shake some much needed sense into him.

Ginoza is fifteen, okay almost sixteen but still. He’s not an adult yet and I know that Ginoza knows this so he shouldn’t try to argue with me about this. He’s a child, nothing more and I should know. I'm old enough to be his grand grand grand grandfather… 

Wait… 

Yeah now that sounds rather creepy on my part when I think about it that way…

“You completely disregard the consequences of your actions, that is why you are a child-”

“Nothing happened!” He cuts me off as he manages to free himself from my grip and quickly backs away towards a stone wall as he brings his knees up to his chest and buries his face in his knees.

“Ginoza?” I softly say his name but he doesn’t look up at me.

“I didn’t do anything…” He mutters, his face still buried into his knees to the point that he was barely understandable.

“Ginoza, tell me what happened.” I tell him as I carefully move closer towards him, trying to ignore the pain in my newly formed legs. “Ginoza?” I softly say his name again as I gently lift his head in order for him to look at me and he does without putting up a fight much to my joy.

His eyes are saying so many different things right now. He’s tired, that’s the one major thing that they are telling me at the moment but that’s not all. There is now shame in them, something that was not present before. He’s afraid, doubtful and somewhat confused. I fear this whole situation concerning the crown is going to eat him up and spit him back out. It’s slowly killing him.

“Her name was Osha, she’s a maid in lord Richmond’s household…” He tells me as he avoids my gaze.

“Go on.” I gently urge him as I try to catch his gaze again but he keeps on avoiding me.

“She said that she wanted to take good care of me, said that pleasing women takes practice and that she wanted to teach me how to please a woman…” He continues telling me after a few minutes of silence.

I figured that it was something like that but Ginoza is so foolish. I still can’t believe that he allowed a simple woman to seduce him. He allowed himself to be led by temptations and completely disregarded the consequences of his actions. He’s just so naive and innocent, I know that it’s not entirely his fault but still. He has a voice; he can make his own decisions so he should be more responsible. He can’t always be a victim. He needs to stand up for himself and if he can’t stand up to a simple woman, how can he do it to the enemy when the time will come…?

Anyway, sounds to me that this so called maid isn’t really a maid at all but something that human men would call a whore. She’s simply a woman pretending to be a maid and instead of actually doing what a maid is supposed to do she instead sleeps with any man for the right price. And since she’s under the services of lord Richmond, it’s safe to assume that he pays her to sleep around with his men.

Richmond must have concocted a plan into gaining Ginoza on his side and to be able to play Ginoza like a little puppet by playing to Ginoza’s desires. It surely wouldn’t be hard to manipulate him. Anyone with a decent brain could come up with something so despicable and Richmond went with the easy method. He knows that young human boys are lustful due to their young age and the fact that their bodies have entered the sudden change to manhood. These young boys are often too shy to initiate sexual intimacy with a woman for the first time so he used his whore to his advantage and she played Ginoza like a violin.

“But I couldn’t do it…” Ginoza mutters catching my attention, dragging me out of my thoughts.

He didn’t do it? Now I’m confused.

If he didn’t do anything then why does he feel shame? I do not understand unless he wanted to but just didn’t have the guts to go through the whole thing. If that’s the case, it sure isn’t something that I want to coax him to do. So I’ll leave it be for now but there is no need to feel any shame for it.

To be honest though I do feel some joy in this recent news.

“You were not ready; you’re still just a child and that’s okay.” I quickly tell him.

“It’s not that…” He mutters back.

“Then what is it?” I ask.

“I don’t know if I’m promised to another… My father never talks to me about politics and what he plans for me. But I’m the prince, and the prospect of marriage helps to strengthen the bonds between houses.” He tells me.

So that’s what’s really bothering him. It’s not the fact that he could have slept with a woman but the fact that he wishes to remain faithful to a young lady that he might be promised to. It is truly a noble thought and his assumptions aren’t wrong. Chances are that he’s been promised to a young noble girl since birth.

“Arranged marriages within noble families are a regular thing but that never stops noble lords from wandering at night in search for pleasure.” I tell him.

Ginoza shouldn’t feel guilty if his eyes wander around. He sure wouldn’t be the first nor would he be the last to do so but I do admire his commitment. It’s truly an example that many should follow; it is truly a mature and responsible decision.

“Noble ladies are expected to remain innocent until marriage but the same can’t be said for the lords.” He further tells me and asks, “Why should the ladies be expected to remain innocent when the lords aren't expected to do the same?”

“It’s a matter of human politics really. You see Ginoza... Men in your society own women like properties. They are not interested in raising another man’s child as one of theirs nor do they want a woman that another man has slept with as their wife.” I explain to him but I know that my explanation is quite distasteful and I don’t agree with it but that is the truth.

Human men, especially the nobles do not want a woman who has been previously touched by another man. They desire only pure young noble ladies who are beautiful and graceful and they will complain none stop if they must look at a lady who isn’t beautiful. And yet, noble ladies do not have the right to do the same. They must remain quiet even if their new husband happens to be a fat old man. Their only duty is to satisfy their lord husbands in bed and to provide him with children but the whole concept of children need to be said fast. Noble lords only desire sons and not daughters. If a lady fails to produce a son, well she’s then branded as a woman who can’t do her job. Often time, if a noble woman fails to give her lord husband a son and only daughters, her fate is then sealed. And often, she's accused of being unfaithful. The lack of sons is a divine sign that she has committed adultery of which is completely ridiculous in my opinion.

“But they are fine by making bastards in brothels and pleasure houses.” Ginoza state and that I can’t argue against either. Noble men refuse to marry a woman who isn’t pure but they have no problems sleeping with women who have been touched more than a thousand times over if they have no obligations towards them. It doesn’t even matter if the woman is ugly or beautiful. To them, all that matters is if they can have their fill of pleasure for the night. It’s truly disgusting if you ask me.

“If only that was the worst thing that most noble men do but it’s not. There are much worse things than that but you should never feel obligated to do something if you’re not ready.” I tell Ginoza and continue, “There’s nothing wrong with being innocent and pure. Even more, considering your young age. But, if you ask me. You should wait until it’s with someone special and not some random individual just because they are willing to give it to you for free.”

I honestly find it very honorable and respectful that Ginoza wishes to remain pure for whoever lady that he’s bound to marry even if he has never met her. It’s not something that you see every day and hopefully his future wife will love him ever the more for it. Whoever she will be, I’m sure she’ll be a lucky lady and a happy wife. Ginoza gives me the impression that he would truly take care of his wife if he is to marry, he’ll truly treasure her.

“You almost sound like Maester Aemon.” He says and a soft smile forms on his lips as he adds, “Are you an old man in a young body?”

“I’m probably four times the age of your Maester.” I answer back.

“Maester Aemon is eighty-seven years old.” He quickly states.

“We slowly age; I’ve been around for a few hundred years.” I tell him and without a doubt he’s surprised. I don’t think he was expecting me to be that old and I can sense a bit of skeptical in his tone.

In the past, all the humans that I have ever told my age always gives me the exact same reaction. It never ceases to make me laugh and their expression is always comical. Not as much as when they see our tail shedding off but still rather comical. It’s always the two things that they never seem to expect.

“Come on lets go, I’m good to go now.” I tell him as I rise up on my new-found feet and I must say it feels strange walking again on solid ground. It’s been so long since I was in this form.

“You’re naked…” Ginoza states as he gets up and I must say I kind of forgot about that. That’s going to be quite a sight once we enter the castle, hopefully the people in there don’t have a faint heart. Well, I don’t think it’s a terrible sight. I might get some laughs in the process.

“Do you like the view?” I ask which only causes Ginoza to turn red again as he pulls out some fabric out of his vest.

“Kougami, here.” He says as he tosses the lump of fabric to me and I catch it and adds, “Until you find something else to wear.”

I unroll the lump of fabric only to find out that it’s a pair of pants and I can’t help but let out a chuckle just thinking about that man. He really does think about everything. He always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else and that’s a good thing. It’s really a good thing; Ginoza sure is going to need someone like that if a war ignites and I'm sure that one is coming.

“You know, I didn’t tell him that.” I admit as I put on the pants and I honestly did not miss wearing pants. I'm sad for every human who must wear pants, these things are so uncomfortable.

“He probably knows you’re an old man too.” Ginoza suddenly blurts out teasingly.

“Hey!” I quickly call out.

It’s good that he’s finally found a sense of humor even if it is at my own expenses but considering my age I can’t really argue with him. To his eyes, I am basically an old man in a sense much to my dismay but there’s nothing I can really do about it. I’m not getting any younger and every human that I once knew died a long time ago. It’s the one thing that I find really hard about having such a long lifespan. It’s having to watch those I’ve grown fond of grow old and then die of old age while I remain the same.

“Careful now, we wouldn’t want you to break a hip old man.” Ginoza quickly adds before bolting into a run towards a long staircase.

“I’ll show you an old man!” I shout back as I run after him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Kougami**

The Stone Commander of the royal navy, Teppei Sugo. The forty-eight liege lord of the Stone Islands and Warden of the sea. That man never seems in ceasing to amaze me. 

I’m not exactly sure how he managed to pull this one off but the castle’s maester was already fully aware that I would be bringing Ginoza to Octavia through the underwater cave. Every personnel who work in this castle were waiting for our arrival. And I must say, we were greeted quite warmly.

The hospitality in this castle is quite charming and being able to change into some more comfortable and dry clothing was well needed but still. It’s such a fucking drag to wear clothes in general. And if you ask me, I look like a total idiot dressed up like this since clothing really does not suit me very well no matter the colour it is. But Ginoza on the other hand, he couldn’t look any better.

The maid chose to dress us in the Islanders’ style of clothing. And at first, I was dreading what she would have come up with considering how the Commander and his men were dressed. To be honest, they do look like a bunch of barbarians and that’s definitely not how I would want Ginoza to resemble. But, what we received was not what I was expecting at all.

Instead of presenting us with black tattered clothing, she instead presented us with the clothing style that I remembered seeing many years ago when Atlantica was still alive and well. I’m truly glad to see the old culture is in fact still alive. It’s good to see that some things never die no matter how much time changes things.

Anyway, Ginoza has been dressed in a simple Doric style dark green chiton pinned at the shoulders by identical silver clasps on each side leaving his arms bare due to the chiton being sleeveless. Long white arm warmers that covers part of his hands were added to compensate for the lack of sleeves of his chiton and a simple silver belt around his waist was used to carefully secure the chiton in place but not without a modern twist to the ancient style.

Chitons have always been simple tunics but in the past these tunics were nothing more than large rectangular tube piece of fabrics that fell down to the ankles. And on rare occasions, depending on what the human’s profession was at the time. The chiton would fall down to the knees or a tad shorter. But the clothing itself was never really practical if it consisted of hard labored work.

In Ginoza’s case, his chiton only consists of the upper body and only falls down at his hips. A wide decorative belt at the waist helps to keep the chiton well secured. White form fitting pants have been combined with the style with knee high brown boots which helps make the style much more sophisticated. And if you ask me, I find it to be much more practical. 

It’s quite clear just by looking at the clothing, it's quite easy to see that being able to perform combat was a top priority in the design. Everything is quite form fitting but nothing would hinder in the wearer's movements. Ginoza could indeed fight in this without having any problems if he needed to. The arm warmers that he's wearing have been made to cover his palms and the top of his hands with a gash on the inner sides to allow the thumb to come out for a better grip. It's like wearing thin gloves but just for the palms while leaving his fingers bare and it sure would help to keep his grip on his sword much better in actual combat.

The only piece of clothing that Ginoza isn’t wearing is the silver himation. For some reason he refuses to wear it which is a shame because he would look good in it but if he doesn’t want to wear it I can’t force him to. The himation is mainly used to keep the wearer warm so if he starts feeling cold, I do hope that he will wear it. That's what it's for after all.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask Ginoza as I catch him staring at me again instead of actually reading what the maester has asked him to like an hour ago that is. He’s so not focusing on his studies at all; I wonder what his grand maester would have to say about this.

“Does the water help to prevent your skin from sagging?” He asks instead of answering my question.

To be honest, I should have seen that one coming from a mile away. Ever since I told him my age, he’s been constantly asking me these ridiculous questions. At this point, I can’t tell if he’s simply doing this for a laugh or if he’s simply trying to suck out all of my patience from me in order to get a free ticket out of his studies…

“Could be…” I answer back as I return my attention back to this book that is completely useless.

How is a damn book supposed to help anyone prepare for a siege is well beyond me. I never really got the concept of laying siege to a city in the first place. I mean if a city has mighty high walls, just rain the attackers with arrows from above. Throw large rocks in order to crush the attackers’ skulls to mush. Push the ladders away from the walls before anyone has the time to climb them. I mean seriously, how hard can it be to defend a city from a siege?

“If you’re so old, how come you’re not going bald?” He asks after a few minutes of silence. “Or is it still too early?” He further adds to his question. What will be next I wonder, how do I hide my greying hair?

I discreetly glance in his direction before turning my gaze towards the old maester and I can just tell how the old man is just itching in his chair as he tries to ignore all of his prince’s absurd questions to me as best as he can but I think he’s reaching his limits. Ginoza is starting to drive the old maester crazy and I’m starting to think that maybe that’s exactly what he wants. I don’t think that Ginoza wants to be studying right now and he’ll do anything in order to keep himself from actually reading even if it means asking me such ridiculous questions in order to kill time. Either way, I can't blame him since it's such a beautiful day today and we've been cooped up inside since we arrived this morning.

“Only human men seem to have that fate of going bald I’m afraid.” I say as I casually flip a page of my book with little care in the world.

“I heard that my grandfather didn’t lose a single hair on his head.” Ginoza tells me.

Can’t say that I know if that's a fact or a myth since I've never seen the man per say nor have I tried to when he was still alive. But from what I’ve heard here and there, the man was actually quite a lunatic and not many were sad when he actually died but that’s not something that I’ll be telling Ginoza. I seriously doubt it that he wants to learn something like that from me. That his grandfather was known as a complete madman in the end of his reign.

“Four hundred and seventy-six years old, really?” Ginoza asks after a bit of silence passes and I hear the old maester let out a long sigh.

“I never should have told you that…” I reply back.

“You’re not just old, you’re ancient. No wait; you’re the equivalent of an antique.” Ginoza quickly follows back with another remark and I have to force myself not to laugh at it as I struggle not to smile either. If I laugh, I’ll only be encouraging him to continue which is exactly what he wants and that wouldn’t be good when it comes to the old maester’s sake but I am enjoying myself none the less.

“Very funny.” I calmly say as I remain straight face and continue to flip through this boring old book.

With my old age, I’m expected to remain mature and basically the responsible one even though I want to tease Ginoza in return but I don’t due to the maester being here with us. Ginoza on the other hand, well he’s an adolescent and this kind of behavior is quite normal and if you ask me it’s quite refreshing seeing him act his own age for once even if it is starting to drive the old maester crazy at this point.

The mess hall grows quiet again as Ginoza returns back to his book that he obviously loathes to death and would probably burn if given the chance. The thing is that maybe having him study in the mess hall might not have been such a good idea in the first place and was definitely a mistake on the maester’s part.

The room is rather large with a lot of vogue and it’s rather distracting to a fifteen year old who probably simply wants to wander around the castle that he’s never seen before and just wants to see things. I honestly don’t know or understand why the maester insists that Ginoza resumes his studies as if it were a matter of life and death. I say let him live a little, the books will still be there tomorrow.

“I just had a sudden realization.” Ginoza suddenly voices out and I brace myself for whatever that just occurred to him. Whatever it might be, it's definitely going to be at my expenses again and I'm not sure if that's a good thing at this point. Maybe it will be enough to finally tick the maester off.

“And what is that?” I ask.

“You’re a Pedophile.” He quickly blurts out with a straight face.

“Hey!” I exclaim. I must admit I wasn’t expecting that one and considering that I did touch him and I did kiss him, I really can’t defend myself against such a statement. I’m guilty but love has no age but I did pull a move on a child. My bad, but I don’t regret it. I’d do it again too if he’d allow me that is and I can always hope that he will someday.

“Nobuchika, my prince. Now you are just being rude.” The maester calmly voices out.

Nobuchika…

So that’s his common name. He never did tell me what it was before nor did I give him mine either. I must say that it’s quite a sophisticated name. It's very fitting for a human prince but where does the Ginoza come from I wonder. If I recall correctly his family is the house Masaoka and their colours are dark green and silver which explains why the maid dressed Ginoza in those colours in specific compared to what she gave me. Simple ivory colours, dull lame colours but they'll have to do…

“It’s alright maester Rodrigue.” I assure the old man and he gives me a disapproval look in his eyes but he doesn’t object to my decision none the less. That’s one of the things that I love about this place, my word is law to these people and none dare to argue with what I say. Not even the maester much to my satisfaction so maybe I can save Ginoza from this useless studying somehow.

“What? You said it yourself in a sense.” Ginoza tells me and I know what he means. He’s aiming at the fact that I touched and kissed him back in the cave. But if you ask me, he doesn’t seem too bothered by it at all.

“And you’re so bothered by it; you have nightmares at night that gives you morning wood the next day.” I shoot back.

“A change of topic would be greatly appreciated.” The maester quickly voices out not like I wasn’t expecting him to do so. After all, he’s a maester sworn to forsake all forms of intimacy until death so it would only be natural for the man to voice out his disapproval at the subject of sexual content.

“What’s morning wood?” Ginoza asks with a puzzled look on his face and I can’t hold in my laughter anymore which further confuses him.

He did not just ask that!? 

I have to observe Ginoza's facial expression a bit before concluding that he is in fact serious and has absolutely no idea what morning wood is and I have to wonder if it has ever happened to him before. He’s still young so maybe his libido is still quite low and considering how he was able to reject the advances of a naked woman who had been sitting on his own naked form in a tub of water, yeah his libido must be quite low at the moment.

“And this is why such topics should be encouraged in his case.” I tell the maester as he shakes his head in disbelief which makes things even funnier but seriously though. Ginoza needs a sexual education on a whole other level. He’s so green and clueless that it's almost painful to watch. He's so green that some would say that he pisses grass. Honestly though, I’ve never met anyone who knows so little about sexuality as he does.

“What’s encouraged?” Ginoza asks which makes me laugh even harder. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. His father made a cripple out of his own son by sheltering him so much. It’s time for a serious intervention here and a big one at that. Hopefully the Stone Commander will see things exactly how I do.

“Maester Rodrigue, I believe the good prince can resume his studies later. He’s in need of serious sleep.” I tell the maester and ask, “Got a cure for that?”

“Essence of Night Shade would help the prince to relax and have a sound slumber.” He tells me.

“Essence of Night Shade it is then.” I agree as I close my boring old book of uselessness.

“Maester Aemon has never given me Essence of Night Shade before, my father never allowed it.” Ginoza states and adds, “He’s never been much of a believer of using sleeping aids and such.”

I haven’t met a single human who doesn’t use Essence of Night Shade. They basically all use it and it doesn’t matter how old they are, they use it. As to why the king refuses to use them is beyond me and quite frankly I wonder if it’s even true. He’s got to use something to sleep and when other problems arise, he has to use some remedies for relief.

“I would not recommend a constant usage on a daily basis but once in a while, aid is required and encouraged my prince.” The maester tells Ginoza as he slowly stands up and walks over to Ginoza. “The recommended dosage would be five drops in a cup of water. But, since you have never used such things before, I believe that one drop will suffice to simply relax the mind.” The maester adds as he takes out a small glass vial with a golden liquid as its content and pours a single drop into Ginoza’s cup of water.

“Thank you Maester Rodrigue.” I thank the maester as he slowly walks away and Ginoza takes a sip of his water only to grimace as he swallows.

“One drop… It tastes awful. I wouldn’t want to know how five drops tastes like.” Ginoza voices out as he stares at his cup of water with disgust.

“Essence of Night Shade, it does sound like it tastes terrible.” I admit but I guess the fact that it tastes awful is a clear sign of a payback for all those absurd questions that he kept asking earlier which makes it even funnier.

“Do you want a sip?” He asks as he holds the cup for me to take and adds playfully, “In your old age, it must be hard to sleep now a day.”

“Essence of Night Shade is toxic to my people. As much as it is beneficial to humans, it is a pure poison to us.” I state and he quickly pulls the cup away from me and takes another sip followed by more grimacing. 

Essence of Night Shade is a mix of different herbs and together they form what is called Essence of Night Shade. It’s a concoction that helps humans to sleep when they’ve been under too much stress and as much as it helps humans, it could kill us if we were ever to consume it even if we’re in our human form.

“I’ll take Essences of Lavender oil over this any day. It tastes awful.” Ginoza tells me after he takes another sip.

An essence of Lavender oil is not something humans consume. It’s mainly used to fill a room with a delicate fragrance and the scent of Lavender oil helps to promote sleep but from what I hear, it doesn’t work as well as Essence of Night Shade.

“You’ve been pampered way too much if you ask me.” I tell him.

“You say it like it’s my fault.” Ginoza mutters back. That wasn’t exactly what I meant but now that I look back at how I said it, yeah that was insensitive on my part.

“That’s not what I meant. I know your upbringing was heavily sheltered and you always did what you were told by your father or the grand maester.” I quickly correct myself.

I understand that the death of Ginoza’s mother was probably very hard for his father. He must have loved her very much to the point that he never remarried and he wants to protect his son no matter what. I understand that, I really do. A father would do anything to protect his child but there has to be a limit and he went way beyond that limit. He sheltered his son so much that he basically crippled him. Instead, it would have been better off sticking a knife in his kid’s chest and be done with it.

Due to Ginoza’s upbringing, he’s naive, innocent and way too optimistic for this cruel dark world. He’s much too trusting and he believes what everyone tells him much too easily and even though it’s quite a tragedy, what happened to him in the king’s wood was the best thing that could ever have happened to him. He’s now away from the capital and he’s got a chance to actually learn how to be an adult man. How to be a better prince and in the end, he now has a fighting chance of becoming a good king.

“I never disobeyed my father. I always did exactly what I was told. I behaved and spoked exactly how I was supposed to…” Ginoza tells me and I believe him. I believe that he’s always been exactly what his father wanted him to be. I believe that he’s always been a well-mannered young man, a respectable young man even.

“I know everything is in chaos right now but all of this allowed you to leave the capital. You’ve been given a chance to grow and discover exactly who you are.” I tell him and it’s the truth. He’s safe now and he can concentrate on himself instead of finding safety. He’s safe and I’ll make sure he remains safe.

“I guess…” He mutters as he takes another sip of his water with not much enthusiasm.

“You have to drink it all. You’ve been under a lot of stress; some rest would do you some good.” I tell him and continue, “So finish drinking that and then you should go lie down in your room-”

“Pardon me, sir.” Ginoza cuts me off, completely ignoring what I was telling him and places the cup onto the table as he rises up to his feet quickly and walks over to the Islander soldier that just entered the mess hall.

“I’m no sir.” He responds as he sits down, his left hand covered in a thick layered of fabric.

“I’m sorry about what I did to your hand. I never should have bitten you; I don’t know why I did it. I wasn’t thinking.” Ginoza tells him and I’m not exactly sure if I understood him correctly. Ginoza bite one of the Islanders? Why in the seven hells would he do such a thing? 

“You’re not the one that owes an apology… It is I…” The Islander says and now I’m even more confused. Exactly what the hell happened on that ship? “I disregarded the situation, my actions were disgraceful and I had no right to touch you in the first place. I got what I deserved.” The Islander adds.

So let me get this whole thing straight. This guy dared to touch Ginoza for whatever reason that I don’t know and Ginoza ended up biting him…? Anyway, whatever it was about it’s none of my business and they seem to have come to an understanding so all is good in my opinion.

“Is your finger going to heal properly?” Ginoza asks as he sits down next to the Islander.

“No… It’s a goner.” The man answers as he removes the cloth from his left hand revealing his hand now lacking his index finger.

“I crippled your hand…” Ginoza mutters, his eyes fixated onto the man’s hand.

Ginoza sure bite really hard in order to cause the man to lose his whole finger right down to the knuckle but the guy doesn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he’s now missing a limb and that Ginoza is the one who caused it. Actually he seems rather content as he places a few things that he’ll be using to treat his injury.

We’ve been here for many hours. To be honest, I kind of lost track of time but anyway we arrived at Octavia a little before sunrise and we’re already reaching late afternoon. So since this man is here, I’m assuming that the Dread finally arrived at the Island but I can’t believe that this man didn’t treat his injury until now. It looks pretty bad to me.

“It’s just a finger, I’m not crippled.” The man answers like it’s nothing.

“If only maester Aemon was here, I’ve seen him sew severed limbs back many times. Once they heal, it’s always as if nothing happened. Other than the scar, it’s like the injury never even occurred.” Ginoza states as he reaches for a small blade that the man had laid down on the table not long ago and gently pulls the man’s injured hand towards him.

Ginoza carefully starts removing all of the dead skin around the wound. The knife is so sharp that it’s cutting through the skin like it was butter. 

I silently watch Ginoza work like he’s done this a hundred times before but what is more remarkable is the man doesn’t even wince as Ginoza cuts off the dead skin. It’s like he’s completely immune to pain or he hides it really well.

“As expected from a grand maester of the citadel but that’s the life of a soldier. If you’re not prepared to lose a few limbs at any given moment, you have no business on the battlefield.” The man replies as he watches Ginoza tend to his wound.

“I don’t know anything about warfare. I know how to use a sword but I don’t think I have any right to call myself a swordsman.” Ginoza tells him almost bitterly and adds, “My skills are rather pathetic…”

Fighting isn’t everything and maybe it’s just not in him and that’s okay. Not everyone can be good soldiers but from what I can see right now, Ginoza’s real skills lie in the arts of healing. He knows exactly what he’s doing; he knows exactly what he needs to do first and what to do next like it’s no big deal. First he removed all of the dead skin, then he cleaned the wound and then proceeded in stitching the wound closed with threads of silk and I must say he can sew a wound closed quite beautifully. The wound will indeed heal very well without much scaring.

“Kings don’t fight, they rule. They bark orders behind their strong walls and leave everything else to their men.” The man states and that’s basically what a king is. They don’t deliberately put themselves in danger. They give out commands to their men and direct all of the political affairs. Their place just isn’t on the battlefield. They're the ones who must manage all of the delicate things in this world.

“Being a king sounds cowardly…” Ginoza mutters as he rinses the tips of his fingers with water.

I must say that I’m actually impressed that he managed to tend to a wound without dirtying more than his fingertips. His white arm warmers remain perfectly white as if he did nothing, now that’s some skills.

“Power is a curious thing. Are you fond of riddles?” The man asks.

“I don’t mind them.” Ginoza quickly responds as he dries his fingers with a clean dry cloth.

I’ve never been very fond of riddles because to me, they never seem to make much sense and the answer always ends up making even less sense. It ends by making everything so confusing and I understand things even less.

“Three great men sit in a room: a king, a priest, and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives, who dies?” The man says, his gaze onto Ginoza as he spoke and I must say now that’s an odd riddle.

“Depends on the sellsword I suppose.” Ginoza answers.

“Does it? He has neither crown, nor gold, nor favor with the gods.” The Islander replies.

“But he has a sword. He can choose whoever he wants to kill; he could choose to kill all three if he wanted to.” Ginoza further answers and I must agree with Ginoza's decision since if the three great men bid the sellsword to kill the other two, it’s really up to the sellsword to decide the fate of the great men since he will be the one to do the killing. The sellsword can choose whatever is more beneficial to him.

“But if it's swordsmen who rule, why do we pretend kings hold all the power?” The Islander asks and continues, “When a man loses his head in an execution, who was truly responsible? The king? The executioner? Or something else?”

That is without a doubt the creepiest riddle I have ever heard in my life but it’s kind of true if you really stop and think about it. If it is truly the soldiers who rule then why do common low born humans pretend that only a certain few hold all the power?

“I just realized how riddles creep me out.” Ginoza states exactly what was on my mind. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who finds it rather creepy but still, it's a riddle that makes you think.

“Power resides where men believe it resides.” The Islander says and again that is true. Men will follow those that they believe in deep down in their hearts. “It's a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” The man adds and I can’t help but smile at that but I’m not exactly sure if Ginoza understood what the man meant.

It really doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter if you are a strong fighter or not and it doesn’t matter what it is you can do. What matters is if the people around you believe in you enough to follow you to whatever end. If you have their beliefs and their uttermost faith, it really doesn’t matter who you are, they will follow you. 

Ginoza might not be a strong soldier but he’s got his own skills to make him great. He's also kind and compassionate which is really rare to find in high borns and I strongly believe if he is nurtured in the right way, he can eventually cast quite a large shadow.

“I’m still sorry about your hand…” Ginoza tells the man.

“Don’t be.” The Islander quickly replies back before shuffling Ginoza’s hair with his uninjured hand. “You’re a good kid.”

A smile forms on Ginoza's lips and I must say that I am rather proud of him. He didn’t tell me that something had happened on the ship. He sure didn’t tell me that he had a confrontation with one of the Islanders but the moment he saw the man, he stood up and apologized for his actions without being told to do so.

The man might not have said anything but he appreciated the gesture and it allowed him to apologize himself for his own actions and in the end all is good. What Ginoza did though, it showed a very important side of him. Even if he is a royal prince, he’s not afraid to do the right thing. He’s not afraid to admit when he’s done something wrong and for that, I truly admire him for it.

Ginoza quickly run his fingers through his hair to arrange it back before standing up when his face suddenly grew blank as he grasp at his chest.

“Ginoza are you alright?” I ask catching the Islander’s attention in the process.

“What’s wrong?” The man asks as he gets up.

“I… I… I can’t breathe…” Ginoza says as he gasps for air when blood starts dripping down his nose quite furiously and suddenly he falls limp onto the floor.

“Ginoza!” I call out as I bolt to my feet and rush to Ginoza’s side in all haste.

I don’t understand what’s happening; he was fine only a minute ago. He was fine but now he’s barely conscious and I’m not even sure if he can understand a single word that I’m saying as blood continues rushing out of his nose as his eyes keep rolling into the back of his head and his body starts shaking violently.

“What did he take?” The Islander asks, “Was he given anything!?”

“The maester gave him Essence of Night Shade to help him get some rest but just a single drop.” I quickly answer as I feel my stomach churn and drop down to my gut.

These symptoms, everything that I’m seeing right now is exactly what I saw many years ago when I was still just a child and some of my friends and my mother had accidentally consumed Essence of Night Shade. I'm not exactly sure how it had happened but I had never seen anything so horrific. And in a matter of minutes, my mother died in my arms and there was nothing I could have done to save her life.

“Drink this!” I hear the Islander say as he presses a vial with clear liquid to Ginoza’s lips. “Trust me! You have to!” He further urges Ginoza to drink but I don’t think he can even understand us at this point.

The Islander doesn’t waste any time and forces the liquid into Ginoza’s mouth and succeeds in getting Ginoza to swallow the liquid. After a few minutes, his body stops shaking and his eyes return back to normal before they closed tiredly and Ginoza remains motionless in my arms but he’s breathing now.

“I’ve never seen a human react so violently to Essence of Night Shade, never.” I tell the Islander.

I’ve seen humans consume Essence of Night Shade so many times. I’ve seen some use very little and some even to the point of abusing the substance and not once have I ever seen a human be intoxicated by it. I promised to keep Ginoza safe, I promised that I would take care of him and I failed. I failed him…


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Ginoza**

Drunken laughter is all that I can hear and yet they all sound so far away like a distant echo resonating in my head and yet I can’t see to whom they belong to. I know the voices though, I know them very well but how can it be that I can still hear them when I know that they are dead? Why am I still wandering on the docks of Emerald Harbor when I should be in Octavia?

Does it really matter?

Nothing seems to be making any sense anymore so all of this just seems fitting…

Howling screams gradually mix in with the drunken laughters as the Harbor suddenly gets engulfed in a raging inferno. The flames quickly spread all over the dock as they release their scorching heat all around and before I can flee, I’m completely surrounded by the flames as the screams and laughters start to become louder and louder until I see a severed head roll on the ground towards my feet. His eyes wide open staring blankly at me with his mouth slightly opened.

I suddenly jolt backwards only to hit something as I do so causing me to quickly turn around only to find the man who had tried to rape me back on the dock with his stomach cut open and his internal organs gushing out as he slowly steps closer towards me with white eyes and I back away.

The fire rages on as it consumes the harbor in its red flames and the screams keeps on intensifying as more and more bodies of dead people start walking towards me until I’m completely surrounded by them and I can’t escape no matter where I look and then just as one was going to reach for my neck everything suddenly goes dark and the next thing that I see is a red canopy above me.

I quickly sit up as I reach for my neck as if checking to make sure it's still there. My heart is beating fast and my breath short to the point that it’s rather hard to breathe as sweat rolls down my brow and I try to catch my breath and ignore the unbearable heat. I feel as if my body is overheating to the point that I’m feeling nauseous.

“It’s alright.” I hear Kougami say and just as the voice came, he sits down on the bed next to me. “You were having a bad dream.” He adds as he quickly wipes away the sweat on my forehead with his hands.

“I feel weak…” I mutter through dry mouth as I try to catch my breath with little success.

To be honest I feel like I just ran for miles none stop and that during my run I was deprived of water. My mouth and my throat feel so dry which I know doesn’t help for my light headiness or the ever growing nausea but little by little, I feel my heart beat starting to drop which is good.

“Maester Rodrigue said that you’d feel that way for a few days but other than that, you should be fine.” Kougami tells me as he gently pushes me back down and I allow myself to sink back into the soft mattress, unable to protest even if I wanted to.

I feel like all the energy has been zapped from my body and I’m running on empty. It’s taking everything that I have just to stay awake; all I want to do is sleep. I want more than just sleep… Sometimes I wish I could just fall asleep and never wake up…  

“What happened?” I ask as the door suddenly swings wide open causing me to slightly jump at the sudden noise and the giant Dormer enters with his large blade in his hand as if ready to fight as he entered the room.

“He was just having a nightmare.” Kougami tells him and Dormer just silently nods as he puts his large sword back into its sheath.

“I’ll be outside if you need me little bird.” Dormer tells me before stepping out of the room and gently closes the door behind him.

What happened to me…?

The last thing that I remember, I was in the mess hall with Kougami. Maester Rodrigue gave me Essence of Night Shade to help me sleep after Kougami suggested that I needed it and then I saw Murray enter the mess hall. I went to him, apologized for what I did to him and tended to his injury that I had caused back on the Dread. He then told me a creepy riddle and after that, I don’t remember.

I do recall this room, even though I’ve only entered in it once since I arrived in Octavia. I know that I’ve been brought back to my designated chambers in the tower of Joy. The red canopy and all the colour red in here still makes me nauseous. It just reminds me of blood. It feels like I’m sleeping in sheets of blood and I know it sounds stupid and it’s all in my head but I’ve never been very fond of the colour red because of what it reminds me of…

I look away from Kougami and turn my gaze onto my bedroom window. It looks like it’s early morning and from the light, the sun hasn’t been up for very long either. The last I remember before everything went blank; it was late in the afternoon. Supper had not been served yet so if it’s already morning, what happened to me?

“What happened?” I ask again as I return my gaze back onto Kougami.

“You had a violent reaction to the Essence of Night Shade.” Kougami tells me as he sweeps my sweat soaked hair away from my face as he continues, “Murray’s quick thinking saved your life.”

I had a severe reaction to Essence of Night Shade?

No, that’s impossible; no one ever has a bad reaction to it. That’s why everyone uses it to begin with, because it’s safe. I even read and maester Aemon confirmed it that maesters give babies Essence of Night Shade to help them sleep when they start teething so if it’s safe for babies then it’s more than safe for anyone. After all, babies are fragile.

Everyone that I know uses Essence of Night Shade here and there, everyone other than my father. He’s the only one who refuses to use it.

“That’s impossible Kougami, no humans has ever had a reaction to Essence of Night Shade. It’s unheard of.” I quickly state.

“Maester Rodrigue feels terrible for giving it to you.” Kougami replies back. “Thank god that you only drank half of that cup.” He adds.

Drank half or drank it all, what matters does it make when it's not toxic to humans and besides it’s not like I had the regular dosage anyway. Maester Rodrigue only gave me a single drop. Yes it tasted awful but it was so diluted that there is no way that I reacted to it.

“Kougami, it can’t be what the Maester gave me that did this.” I voice out as I explain my reasoning, “Essence of Night Shade is safe for all humans, young and old alike. It’s not toxic in any way to humans.”

Essence of Night Shade is one of the many remedies that we humans use for multi purposes depending on the symptoms that we may have. Essence of Night Shade is a refined substance created from a combination of four different plants and a matter of fact all of those four plants are actually safe for humans too.

“That’s true but…” Kougami starts saying but stops as if he’s searching for what word to use.

“But what?” I ask as I try to get his gaze but I can’t get an eye contact from him, his eyes keep on wandering.

“You’re not human.” He says after a bit of hesitation as if he wasn’t really sure how to say it but he’s not making any sense. I’m human; I’m not some creature or any of the sorts. I’m human just like all of my ancestors before me, just like my father.

“I’m human.” I state.

“Ginoza, your father is a human but your mother was not.” Kougami tells me. “Maester Rodrigue didn’t know about your mother, even I didn’t know but it’s okay. You have both human blood and Merblood flowing through your veins.” He further tells me but that can’t be true.

My mother was a noble lady…

She was…

She was from…

Her family was…

I don’t know anything about my mother…

“Murray knew…?” I mutter the question.

“No, he didn’t know.” Kougami answers and further explains. “I told him you took Essence of Night Shade after he asked me if you had been given something. He later told me that it’s a custom for Islander sailors and soldiers to carry Tears of Lys with them at all times in case they ever need it to save Merpeople’s lives from intoxications.”

Tears of Lys… I’ve heard of it but I don’t know anything about it. But apparently it’s not something that can be done so freely and the ingredients needed to make it can only be found in specific areas with specific conditions. But I didn’t know that the Islanders carried it at all times… They really do look out for Merpeople don’t they…?

It’s true that I don’t know anything about my mother. I don’t know which house she was from or where she lived. I don’t know if she had any siblings or if her own parents are still alive. Actually I barely remember how she even looked like but all of this has to be a mistake. My mother can’t be a… No she can’t be…

“I know it’s something that’s circling in your mind right now but I never met your mother.” Kougami tells me and of course it’s something that’s going through my mind right now. He’s saying that my mother wasn’t human. That she was a- “I only know her in name; to be honest I don’t even know how she looked like. I just know that her name was Sae and that she was Poseidon’s eldest daughter.” He further tells me and I don’t even know who Poseidon even is.

“Why did she leave?” I ask and I’m not even sure why I even asked him that because I can’t bring myself to believe that my mother wasn’t human because if she really wasn’t then what am I? A freak of nature that shouldn’t exist…?

“I don’t know. I wasn’t even aware that Poseidon’s eldest daughter had abandoned the ocean until now.” Kougami quickly replies as he strokes my hair and continues, “But don’t worry. The commander will get the answers to all of this for you. Even he wasn’t aware about your mother’s true nature but it didn’t surprise him.”

“I guess nobody knew…” I mutter a reply, too tired to try to argue. I don’t think I could get up and walk right now even if I wanted to. I feel so weak and tired and all of this isn’t helping me at all…

“Your father and I’m assuming your maester Aemon must know also.” Kougami assumes and it would only make sense. Maester Aemon knows everything about my father and he’s the one who wedded my parents in the grand citadel so he must know something. “I don’t blame them for keeping it a secret.” He adds.

“Don’t blame them!? They-”

“Ginoza, your mother was murdered. She became suddenly ill; it looked like an illness and before the maester realized what really happened it was too late.” Kougami quickly cuts me off and explains his reasoning.

I always knew deep down that my mother’s death was odd, that it wasn’t just some natural illness that caught her. No matter how you looked at it, it just didn’t make any sense.

I never got to see my mother while she was sick because of the council. Everyone basically feared that whatever she had was contagious so they kept me away. After she died, I wasn’t able to see her body nor was I able to attend her funeral either. Actually, it was my father who forbade me from attending my mother’s funeral but if all of this is true and my mother was in fact poisoned, maybe the poison altered her appearance. Maybe she wasn’t a pretty sight but still, I had the right to know. I had the right to know who my mother was…

“They still had no rights to keep that a secret from me.” I voice out as I look up to the red canopy and I wish I could just tear it down. I hate this colour, I hate it!

“Ginoza you’re alive.” Kougami states the rather obvious like it’s supposed to make me feel any better because it doesn’t.

“So?” I say numbly.

“You’re the son of Poseidon’s eldest daughter. Yes, he has a bunch of granddaughters but you’re his only living grandson. Actually you’re his only grandson.” Kougami tells me and I just don’t know who Poseidon even is. Okay, supposedly my mother was his eldest daughter and that I apparently have cousins that are all girls but that still doesn’t tell me who he is or anything. “Let’s just say that things just got a lot more complicated. Things have changed and I’m starting to see the bigger picture of what’s happening.” He adds.

Things have changed? Exactly how things have changed exactly? That now everyone knows that I’m a freak of nature that shouldn’t exist? If I’m not really human then yes it kind of changes things but I don’t see how it makes things more complicated unless Poseidon is someone of great importance to the Merpeople in some way…

I really don’t know anything about what goes on down there… Why couldn’t I have been born a commoner instead of a prince? Life would have been so much simpler…

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 13.5**

**Sugo**

Now that sure was a good welcome home greeting. I didn’t get the chance to be in port for more than an hour and I was already thrown with a problem. Well Murray took care of it so it wasn’t really much of a problem at that point when I was alerted to the situation but thanks to all of this sudden fiasco my suspicions have been proven to be correct and that’s rather a problem depending on how you look at it.

The queen had always been a topic of mysteries; no one knew where she came from. All assumed that she was the daughter of some mighty king from a foreign country and no one batted an eye about it since she was so beautiful and kind to the common people because apparently that’s all you have to be in order to be a successful queen. All you have to do is smile, be pretty and do some charity work towards the common people and you’re all set.

Anyway, I on the other hand. I didn’t buy into that so called gossip about her origins. Especially after I saw the woman a few times when I was young in person. Just by looking at her, there was no way that she was just a meer human but I knew better than to say anything since it could have caused some problems. And besides, the queen was genuinely a good person. She really wanted to do good to the people; she had her heart in the right place.

The prince sure gets his appearance from his mother that’s for sure. He’s got her eyes, those vibrant green eyes are exactly the same as his mother and he also inherited her raven hair and skin tone right to the mark. Everything from his face shape right to his cheek bones, it’s all his mother. Everything is all her except for the shape of his eyes. Now that’s his father. At least there’s that, but other than that, the prince is a spitting image of his mother through and through.

Sae was indeed a very beautiful woman but she was more than just a pretty face. She was intelligent, shrewd and politically a savvy young woman. She knew how to play politics quite well and she knew exactly what do to in order to get the common people to adore her husband the king but only a fool wouldn’t notice that there was no way that she was human. Her fair appearance just screamed mermaid but then again not everyone knows that Merpeople can ditch their tails to walk on land as they wish. Of course they have some limitations and they must return to the sea after a certain amount of time but other than that, they are just like us but better in every way.

Anyway, the prince was lucky that Murray was in fact there in the mess hall with him because without the Tears of Lys, the prince surely would have died within minutes. However, although it was quite sad about the accidental intoxication, I must say that I’m quite satisfied with Murray’s actions. He could have allowed the prince to die and do nothing all the while watch the boy suffocate and bleed to death but he didn’t. That’s devotion and trustworthy without a doubt. Murray truly has proven himself yesterday and redeemed himself for his blunder back on the ship.

Due to the intoxication that the prince has experienced, he lost a fair amount of blood but maester Rodrigue says that he’ll be fine after a few days of rest but the old maester blames himself for his mistake. He constantly keeps apologizing to me for it but what could I expect? The man didn’t know. After all, how could he? He’s been on this island ever since the Islanders were exiled to remain onto their islands. Maester Rodrigue has been here for over fifty years, he didn’t see the queen, he didn’t witness the wedding nor did he ever see the prince until yesterday morning.

“Have you ever heard of a hybrid between a human and a mermaid?” I hear Flint ask from the back of the mess hall. By the way he keeps on gossiping, you’d think that he’s an old woman or something. He never knows when to put something to rest…

“Does it matter?” Kane asks without much interest in his tone as he continues eating his breakfast.

“Actually it does because this mermaid was not a small fish. We’re talking about the remnant of a killer whale here with a megalodon on our ass if we fuck up.” Flint voices out and I just want to cringe at his statement.

Comparing Merpeople to common fishes is just plain insulting. Merpeople are beings just like us humans. They are not brainless like a bunch of fishes that swims throughout the sea. Even more, he compares one of the mightiest of the Merpeople to a killer whale and her father, the king of the ocean and one who is even greater than his daughter to a megalodon. Now that’s more than insulting, especially since megalodons are just mindless killing machines that have long since been extinct.

“If we do fuck up, we could be seeing the rest of our islands get swallowed up.” Flint adds and I have to control my urge to get up and give him a good wack behind the head but I’m really not in the mood to get into this right now.

Poseidon is indeed the king that rules under the vast oceans but he wasn’t the one who destroyed the great city of Atlantica. He doesn’t control the waves, the wind or the rain. It wasn’t his fault that Atlantica was simply just a floating city and not an actual island.

Atlantica was a city bound for a tragedy to happen and it did. Our capital city got swallowed up by the ocean within minutes because it was poorly built. It was in the perfect location to get submerged by the sea. The only reason why Atlantica remained the capital city for the Islanders was because it was the first city ever made. Atlantica started the Islanders, it was the first city within the Stone Islands but other than that, it was completely useless.

The only thing that Poseidon does is rule under the ocean. He’s the one who dictates the laws that his people must follow and that is all. He’s not a vicious creature and I’m sure that he must be quite saddened at the death of his eldest daughter and that’s not even knowing if he’s even aware that his grandson lives.

“What do you suggest? That we abandon our duty!?” Kane asks Flint calmly.

I’ve been the liege lord of the Stone Islands for the last seven years and I can’t recall hearing Kane raise his voice once. He always remains calm and diplomatic. Sometimes I seriously wonder where he came from. He sure does not match the rest of this lot but it keeps things interesting to say the least.

“You’re free to go piss your ass back into your chambers at any given moment Flint.” Murray voices out and I second that.

We are Islanders and everyone learns this one fact at a very young age. That the first Islanders were Merpeople who couldn’t return to the ocean ever again because they disobeyed their king’s law. Because they disobeyed and failed to return to the ocean before a specific amount of time. They were exiled to continue living their lives as humans but they loved the ocean still so they occupied the islands and the Islanders came to be.

“Pardon me my lord.” Maester Rodrigue takes me out of my thoughts. “You’ve been summoned to the Tearling to answer for your actions to deport from Octavia with the Galleon Dread and for your sightings at Emerald Harbor as it went up in flames and did nothing.” He tells me as he gives me the piece of parchment and I quickly read what it says.

It’s exactly as the maester told me. I’m being summoned to Court to answer for my actions and the actions of my bannermen and as to why we set sailed with a warship like the Dread without authorization of the crown and for the accusation of attacking Emerald Harbor and engulfed it in flames and left it to burn. I am to arrive within the fortnight or be branded an enemy of the crown and a traitor to the realm.

In the name of Tomomi Masaoka, the first of his name, king of Ilindor and protector of the realm, if proven guilty of the charges pressed against me, I and all those who shared in my crimes will be stripped of all ranks and titles, of all lands and holding, and will be sentenced to death.

“Sure didn’t waste their time to report my arrival back to the city did they.” I voice out as I discard the parchment onto the table.

I knew those that we came across on the sea before arriving to Octavia would have reported our sightings to the king. Actually I knew beforehand that I would have had a run in with one of the king’s navy ships which is why I had to get the prince off my ship in the first place. I couldn’t allow anyone to know that I had the prince in my grasp when I still don’t know exactly who the enemies of the crown are.

“This is a royal command, my Lord. If you should refuse to obey-”

“I won't refuse. If his Grace summons me to go to the Tearling, I'll go to the Tearling.” I quickly state and the mess hall grows quiet as I feel all eyes fall upon me.

“I’ll go with you my lord.” Kane offers without any hesitations as he stands up. Clearly determined to serve me all the way to the very end and it’s one of the reason why I like the guy. His loyalty comes for free but there’s not an amount of gold in the world that could ever replace him. He’s truly a trusted comrade and friend, I’m truly grateful of having such an individual on my side.

“I need you to remain here Kane. While I’ll be gone, I’ll be leaving you in charge of managing things here until I return.” I respectfully decline his offer.

It sure would have been good to have him with me during this voyage but I need him here the most. While I’ll be gone I need someone who will be able to take my place and to properly manage all of the islands affairs accordingly and I see no one who could do that better than Kane. I need him here more than I need him with me.

“As you wish my lord.” He responds as he gives me a small bow and retakes his seat.

“I won’t be going alone though; I’ll go to the Tearling with the Skeleton crew.” I state. Considering what I’ve been charged with, it sure wouldn’t be wise to go to court with a huge host at my command and using the Dread sure wouldn’t be a good idea either. Which is a real shame because I actually love that ship. Not because it’s a massive one that can endure pretty much anything the elements throws at it but because it was the first thing that was ever given to me by the Islanders. It was a token of appreciation from my people. It means a lot to me and I have great pride in that ship.

A skeleton crew of twenty men will suffice to sail a simple ship to the capital. It’s not far so we’ll be fine but if I would allow my men to have their way, there would be no way I would be allowed go to the capital with only a skeleton crew. They would gladly lose their lives for me if need be. That’s why I trust them and that’s why I also have no worries when I’ll be away. The prince will be well taken cared of.

“Call the banners.” I order the maester and the mess hall goes dead quiet once again.

“All of them, my lord?” He asks rather cautiously.

“They've all sworn to rise up for their liege lord when the occasion would call for it, have they not?” I ask in return and I feel the air in the mess hall grow denser.

“They have.” The maester admits.

“Now we'll see what words are worth.” I state and maester Rodrigue gives me a small bow before walking away.

Summoning the banners to Octavia isn’t a simple feat. The Islands are not exactly near each other so it will take some time for all of them to assemble which is why I’m summoning them now while I’ll be away to the capital. If I wait later, once I’ve returned, I might actually come to regret it. Octavia needs to be fully armed and fully prepared for any future attack and I know they will come. It will only be a matter of time and I have no intentions of being caught by surprise and unprepared.

I get up and my men quickly rise to their feet, giving me a small bow as I walk down the mess hall and exit the room and they resume what they were doing as I walk away into the empty hall.

I didn’t have to say anything; they knew exactly what it meant. They know what is coming and I wish I was as confident as I sounded back there but I’ve gone too far to back down now. Like they say, once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up her udders, so here we are to see things through.

A war igniting is only a matter of time, only a fool would think otherwise. I’ll have to make my decisions very wisely or I’ll lose my head and my people will suffer for it. The men on the other hand have been itching for a good fight and they’ll have it but I won’t make the same mistake as the old lords did. I won’t be taking the fight to my enemies. If they want to fight, I’ll have them come directly to me here and we’ll bury them into the ocean. We are Islanders after all. Our strength lies with our ships but our strengths also lies with the usage of our islands and I plan on using everything that I have at my disposal.

The peacefulness that fills this castle and the sight of my people carrying on with their everyday life down below only serves to remind me exactly what I have to protect. There are no rooms for errors, especially not on my part. If I fail, my men will die, my people will die, we will die. Everything that has stood for hundreds of years will crumble into rubles in a matter of minutes and I just can’t allow that to happen.

We haven't had a real fight in fifty years. Back-stabbing doesn't prepare you for a fight. And that's all the realm is now. Back-stabbing, scheming, ass-licking and money-grubbing, that’s all this country has come to now.

When this country was founded, when house Masaoka were just king of the south and they started expanding their reign by conquering one land right after the other everything was different. They had one army, a real army united behind one leader with one purpose. Their purpose died once all the lands were unified into a single kingdom…

Now, we’ve got as many armies as there are men with gold in their purses and everyone wants something different and yet they all want the same thing. Power. That’s what they all want in the end and it’s come to a point that it’s hard to know who is really on your side and who is not.

Peaceful times sure as hell doesn’t prepare you for war, actually it cripples men. The thing is that young men are not used to seeing blood, to seeing their friends and comrades die in front of them. Many can’t handle the pressure. Hell, I’ve been commander in the navy for the past eight years, and liege lord of the Stone Islands for the past seven years. I’ve had my share of small battles here and there but I’ve never fought in an actual war before.

War is much different than a single conflict. The thing is that with a single conflict, once you’ve won the battle the confrontation is over. You’ve won and it’s done but that’s not how a war works. You can win every battle but it doesn’t mean that you’ll win the war in the end. One wrong move, one small mistake will be enough to cost you everything and it will be my people who will suffer if I lose. If I lose, the Islanders won’t be exiled again. If I lose, every single one of my people will be executed and an entire legacy will be destroyed and I just can’t allow that to happen.

Anyway, I can’t allow my worries to show. I’m the one that my men will look at for confidence and if I’m shaking well that won’t do much good and there’s also the prince to think of. If I allow myself to show weakness then he will show his own weakness and for his sake he mustn’t. He needs to be strong and I know that he will look to me for strength and I can’t fail him.

I observe the maids as they carry out their morning work. All of them are all focused on their task at hand as they pay little attention to me as I continue walking down the hall for a bit until I climb a stone staircase into one of the castle towers leading up to an empty sitting area when I see Dormer standing next to a closed door at the far end. I should have known that I would have found him here even though I didn’t tell him to do so.

Apparently he was really dead serious into becoming the prince’s personal guard. At least that’s somewhat comforting to know that from now on the prince will have a worthy soldier by his side but that also means that I’m losing one of my best fighter.

I continue walking and enter the room without saying a word as I quietly enter and shut the door behind me to find the prince awake, lying in bed with the merman Kougami sitting on his bed right next to him.

“How are you feeling your grace?” I ask as I step closer towards the bed. He seems rather pale and somewhat tired but other than that, he looks to be doing okay. I know he’ll be fine. Can’t say that I’m surprised to see that Kougami is in here with the prince but considering how mermans are, I would prefer that he would remain outside of his grace’s chambers.

“Tired…” The prince answers.

“I’m going to need you to write to your father, to let him know that you are safe and well.” I tell the prince as I grab a writing pad, paper and a quill that were lying on the desk in the far corner of the room.

“He nearly died, I think writing a letter can wait.” Kougami quickly objects. Of course he does but he’s not the liege lord of this castle, I am and he better learn his place. He may be one of the Merpeople but I won’t have him object to my demands.

“I’m afraid that it can’t wait.” I respond as I move closer to the prince still lying in bed. “I’ve been summoned to Court by your father. My actions to set out in search for you your grace were not pre-approved and my ship was spotted near Emerald Harbor as it went up in flame.” I explain.

“You’re being summoned to answer for war crimes?” The prince asks, his eyes glued onto me and if I didn’t know any better I would say that I just scared him a little.

“Something like that.” I admit but the summon itself isn’t really something that bothers me. It’s not like I didn’t see it coming from a mile away. Actually I was planning on it and it came on much sooner than expected but I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Being summoned to the capital wasn’t unexpected. Actually, I was counting on it and now it’s time for you to play your part in this game.” I add as I hand over the writing pad and the prince takes it and lays it on his lap.

Kougami is eyeing me like I just asked the most demanding thing ever from his grace but he didn’t bother to stand up and remained seated on the bed next to the prince so that’s definitely something I’ll have to see to later.

I do admit that yes the prince is tired and weak from all of that blood lost but it’s not like I’m asking him to do physical labor. He’s more than capable of writing to his father and without a single word he starts writing and all you can hear in the room is the sound of the quill on paper. I don’t know what the prince will write to his father and quite frankly it’s none of my business but I have faith he will do the right thing.

“I will be gone for a month, maybe more but I’m leaving Kane in charge until I return. Dormer and Murray will be staying here also so you’ll be safe.” I state and the prince stops writing when a flock of ravens fly off on all sides.

“Ravens… So many… Where are they going?” He asks as he stares outside until all of the ravens have flown off.

“I’m calling all of my banners to assemble in Octavia. A war is coming your grace and I will not wait until I’m attacked first in order to act and I sure won’t wait until I return to assemble them.” I tell him and continue, “I have everything under control. No need to over think things or worry. Octavia is the mightiest Island that the Stone Islands possess. We can withstand a Siege for a very long time; anyone who dares attack us will run low on supplies way before we do.”

“Has this place ever been sacked?” He asks.

“No your grace. Octavia is the largest island that we have and it’s surrounded by tall mountain rock like walls with only one way in. You can’t climb over it and if we decide that nothing gets in, then nothing gets in.” I answer but I know that’s not exactly what worries him. Yes the island being attacked and possibly sacked is worrisome but he’s worried if I don’t return. What will happen if the Islanders were to suddenly lose their liege lord and they suddenly fall without a leader. That’s what scares him and for that, I understand but death won’t be today or in the upcoming weeks.

“What if they do get in?” He further asks.

“We’ll throw them back into the sea your grace.” I answer calmly. “The Island itself is protected by a large wall and from that wall to the island we have a vast bay of water but the city is also protected by its own massive walls and if you go explore once you are feeling better your grace, you’ll see that you can’t use ladders or use proper siege weapons to get pass the wall.” I add.

When you lay a city under siege, you can’t just do it with men. You need siege weapons and a vast army in order to conquer the city. The thing is that you can’t easily carry siege weapons on a ship, you can but in order to do so you need a massive naval fleet and a very big army. Basically the enemy would need an armada sized fleet in order to carry soldiers, siege equipment, weapons and supplies in order to win and that’s where we have the advantage.

“Don’t worry, the good commander knows what he’s doing. Leave the thinking and strategizing to him, you’ll be fine.” Kougami adds to my defense which is surprising or he simply passed his quick faze but now is not the time to ponder on it.

“Kougami is right; I know how to hold my own keep and so does Kane. Dormer won’t be leaving your side and Murray won’t be too far away either.” I say and add, “This Island can withstand a five year long siege without a single problem; we can grow our own food here to support the citizens and the soldiers.”

That’s our massive advantage on this island and it’s the main reason why I named this island our new capital city. It’s massive and even so, the population is small which makes the island just perfect for war. We can harvest food and considering how much we can produce here, I’m sure we can out last more than five years easily.

Anyway, I’ve called forth the banners and they’ll leave enough men to protect the other islands and the rest will come here. Only a fool would attack the Stone Islands, no one attacks us on our home turf and lives to tell a soul about it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Kougami**

The commander has been summoned to the capital by the king to answer for crimes that he's been accused of. Crimes that he did not commit but he's going to have to prove his innocence still.

This accusation is serious and if things go sour many people will die and what I don't get is that the commander doesn't even seem worried about it. He didn’t even bother to read what Ginoza wrote to his father before sealing the letter which is rather careless on his part. He has no idea if what Ginoza wrote will actually cost him his head. After all, it’s no secret that the young prince is rather naive and he could have made some mistakes in his letter and make matters worse.

“If Ginoza would be well right now, you know he’d follow you to the capital to speak to his father on your behalf.” I state to the commander as I watch him put on that thick black cloak over his shoulders. It sure as hell looks heavy with all that black fur that rests on his shoulders and the black fabric seems heavy too.

Seriously he could have worn something a bit better to go to the capital. After all, he’s going to meet the king, Ginoza’s father of all people. 

Yes, the commander is clean and his clothing isn’t tattered. But seriously, he won't look too innocent if he resembles a damn barbarian dressed up like that. Actually, he looks like a fancy barbarian since all of his clothes are in perfect condition but still. It couldn’t have hurt to dress in a classier attire for such an occasion. After all, he is the liege lord of the Stone Islands. He should at least look the part when presenting himself to the king.

“I’m aware.” He replies as he fastens his sheathed blade onto his belt around his waist without any care in the world. 

Right now, I’m not even sure why he asked me to accompany him down to the mess hall to begin with since he hasn't looked at me once. He hasn't bothered to talk to me much either. The only times that he does talk to me is only because I talk first.

“You owe Ginoza some answers so make sure to come back alive.” I further tell him and for Ginoza's sake, he needs to come back. He just has to and hopefully in one piece.

“Do you take me for a fool?” He asks in a low tone after a few minutes of awkward silence.

“What?” I ask in turn as he suddenly grabs a fistful of my hair in the back of my head.

“Do you think I don’t see you looking at my prince?” He asks in a low tone almost in a whisper, his face close to mine, “Do you think that I don’t know what you want?”

“I must admit, he’s rather easy on the eyes.” I admit but it was probably not exactly the smartest thing I could have said in my predicament but it just came out but at least I'm being honest.

Ginoza is indeed really easy on the eyes. He’s beautiful, there’s no denying that and I’m not ashamed of admitting it either. I’ll even admit it in front of the king if I have to. I’m attracted to Ginoza, what can I say.

“You think you’re so funny don’t you? Just because you have the prince’s good grace on your side at the moment that it somehow protects you. Well let me tell you something, I don’t serve you. I do have respect for your people and for that, I’ll let you keep your head but don’t give me a reason to remove it. I won’t hesitate to chop it off.” He warns me in that same low tone, never distancing his face from mine to the point that I can feel his breath against my skin.

I must say that I admire his determination to keep order as he see fit. But seriously, if he thinks that he can execute me and his people will rally up behind him, well he’s sadly mistaken. If he decides to kill me, his days as liege lord of the Stone Islands will be numbered that’s for sure.

“You’ll lose faith with your people if you do that.” I tell him as I glance towards him to catch his eyes and continue, “You’re not a true born Islander. How long do you think they’ll follow you once you chop the head off a merman?”

“I may not be a true born Islander but don’t go thinking that’s what saves you here.” He quickly responds and adds, “I don’t have to exactly chop off your head in order to destroy you.”

Humans, every time that they can’t kill someone they always target a man’s parts. Turning their fellow men into eunuchs is quite common and rather a shame really. It's quite distasteful but I won't deny that some men do deserve it though but I'm not one of those men.

“Now that would be cruel. I’m quite close to my parts, especially now since they are so out in the open.” I reply back to his threat much to his annoyance.

If he truly believes that I will allow him to intimidate me when I’ve done nothing wrong, he’s sadly mistaken. Yes I won’t deny that I can’t help but stare at Ginoza, he’s a beautiful young man. Who wouldn’t rinse their eyes of his beauty whenever they can? I can easily assure him that I’m not the only one and quite frankly, I can’t blame anyone who does. Ginoza is really hard to ignore.

“Then if you wish to keep them, I suggest you stay away from the prince’s bed in the future.” He tells me and now I understand. The dear Stone Commander is angry that I was alone with Ginoza in his bed chamber earlier and quite frankly why shouldn’t I? I have every right to be by his side if I intend to serve him at the best of my abilities and quite frankly I do intend to serve him fully. “If I hear that you entered the prince’s bed while I’m away and believe me I will find out if you do, there will be nothing you can do to stop me.” He adds rather coldly.

Here’s another who plans on sheltering the young prince but the commander is a fool if he believes that he can keep Ginoza sheltered forever. 

True that I don’t plan on entering Ginoza’s bed. I don’t plan on trying to manipulate him into doing so because I genuinely care for him. I don’t want to hurt Ginoza or further confuse him than what he already is. But, I won’t reject any advances that he might do towards me because it will only be a natural thing.

“You can’t control what Ginoza wants.” I say and I feel the commander’s grip on my hair tighten.

“I knew in advance about how Merpeople can turn into humans so what makes you think that I don’t know more?” He asks and I have to admit that it did surprise me that he did know about that but should I really be that surprised? The commander seems like the kind of man who does his research right down to the mark so it would only be natural that he would know about us so much. “Only mermans prowl around seducing those they find appealing to them. It’s a sport to you but you won’t sully my prince. Do I make myself clear?” He further says, catching me a bit by surprise. Now that was something that I was not expecting that he would know about us.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a go, commander.” I state.

Maybe we are tolerant beings but we do not shun bastards because bastards are born out of passion. To us, love has no boundaries. If two individual consent, it doesn’t matter age or gender. If two individuals love each other then why can it be wrong? Love is the most beautiful thing in this world. Love is pure and I intend to love Ginoza will all my heart.

“This is the Stone Islands. We have laws. Laws that existed way before I became liege lord and the Islanders follow them by the letter. We live by them and I intent to enforce every single one and lying in bed with another out of wedlock is against the law. Actually it stands against the Islanders’ morals.” He tells me and continues, “Touch the prince in any way inappropriate and I assure you, it won’t be me that you’ll have to fear.”

“Those are not my laws, commander.” I blurt out only to receive a slap behind the head once he released his grip of my hair.

Okay, maybe that was kind of rude on my part. They may not be the laws of my people but I am now in the world of humans and I guess it is expected of me to follow their laws especially since the commander basically welcomed me into his castle. I owe him some respect I guess.

“No they’re not but you will follow them none the less as long as you are on this island because you will respect the people who live here.” He tells me and yeah I kind of agree and I guess that he is right. “You may be nearing five hundred years of age and your wisdom to us humans can be very valuable. But, to the eyes of your elders, you’re nothing more than a lustful child that’s entered the problematic adolescence stage.” He adds and I grin at that statement. He really does know about us, he knows a fair amount too of which is rather impressive. 

“Touché.” I reply.

“Your elders will do whatever they can to protect their young ones. And as an adult myself; I’ll be doing the same so keep your hands and imagination off his grace.” He tells me and again I can’t argue with that. Our elders often lecture us to be more careful and to be more this and less that. It’s to a point that it is quite annoying but they always have a point. I guess it’s only natural that some humans would protect their young ones too.

“I don’t intend on hurting your prince. I would never do anything against his will and seducing him would just be a waste of time on my part. I do like Ginoza and I’ll be honest with you, I did try to seduce him before I knew who he was and it didn’t work. I respect him and I didn’t try again after he denied me, he’s more capable than what you may think.” I say and I receive a sharp glare from the commander but he doesn’t try to hit me again much to my relief.

I don’t see any point of lying or try to hide anything from him. After all, he knows what I am, he knows what my nature is so there’s really no point in trying to deny or hide any of that. I admit that the males of my species are guilty for seducing humans and I’m guilty for doing it a few times myself but if someone tells me no, I don’t push. Yes I will be disappointed that it’s over but I will respect their decision. And if later they want me, if they decide that they’ll have me then great. If not, well that’s okay too.

“He needs friends to help him grow to become the king that he’s born to be, not to further corrupt him.” The commander states as he grabs the gloves on a table and puts them on.

“In order to become the king that he’s born to be, he needs to face certain corruptions otherwise he’ll never grow.” I tell him and that’s the truth. If someone is never exposed to corruption, they will never grow because they won’t feel like they need to change and that’s not good. “He’ll remain naive and innocent if everyone keeps sheltering him from what the world really is.” I add.

“Bedding him won’t fix the problem.” The commander quickly replies before looking at me and adds, “I have a summon to attend to. You better heed my warning. You are not to enter the prince’s bed.”

With that he walks away from me, his head held high as he walks out of the mess hall like nothing happened.

The commander sure is something else. He’s without a doubt confident and his heart is in the right place but he’s also quite young. I just hope that he doesn’t end up biting more than what he can chew. I really would hate to hear news that the commander is dead. Even if he is a rather hard man to read, I actually like him. He’s interesting and I like the fact that he doesn’t care who he needs to cut down in order to protect Ginoza. He will do it without a second thought if needs be.

I must say the thought about bedding Ginoza is quite a pleasant thought. I have tried to imagine how that would be like and how he would sound as his body would be filled with pleasure. I wonder if he would moan my name or if he would scream it. Maybe he would be a silent type but he gives me the impression that he would be the type to let out soft moans with each thrust. It sure is a beautiful thought, maybe it will eventually become a reality one day. Well, maybe with a little coaxing here and there, maybe.

I shake the thought of bedding Ginoza out of my head as I walk out of the mess hall. I quickly make my way back towards the tower of joy and I must say that the names of each tower in this castle are all odd. There are four towers in total. Each of them are located on each corner of the castle and apparently each one are different but I only know of one. The tower of joy.

Joy, sorrow, sun and moon are the four tall towers of the mighty castle of Octavia and the one that Ginoza occupies in full is the tower of joy. The tower itself consist of two separate bed chambers, one that Ginoza uses and the other one is mine. There’s a bath chamber, a large living quarter and a grand balcony and apparently the three other towers are just as grand as the tower of joy.

I climb up the stone steps of the tower until I reach the top to see that the main door is open. I step into the large living area only to find the giant standing next to Ginoza’s closed door. I know that I shouldn’t be surprised to find him here but right now is not exactly the time to play guard duty.

“Are you going to be standing there all day?” I ask as I walk closer to the giant.

“Got a problem?” He asks back with an unfazed expression.

“No it’s perfectly fine. Actually, it’s great to find someone so devoted to the prince but seriously who are you protecting him from?” I ask as I step even closer to the man and continue. “Everyone here are friends and allies am I correct or is there something that I should know?”

“Trust no one ocean lord and you’ll never be surprised.” He calmly answers, his expression never changing.

This giant, he has claimed his desire of being Ginoza’s personal guard but I’m not exactly sure if he’s the kind of person that Ginoza needs by his side. This man, he’s ready to kill anytime, anywhere with no questions asked and I’m not sure if that’s good for Ginoza. This man is dangerous and considering how my dear prince hates to being watched, having a guard right outside of his bed chambers sure isn't something that he'll be too thrilled about. To say the least, if this giant wants to guard so much, he should do it at the bottom of the tower.

“That’s a good philosophy in a sense but does that mean you don’t trust your own prince?” I quickly inquire and yet his expression is never changing but I think a slap wouldn’t have offended him more.

“I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t ocean lord.” He calmly replies and I must say that it’s the first time a human ever calls me ocean lord. It sounds rather strange and considering how hard this man seems, it’s rather weird to hear it from him of all people.

“Good. I have a job for you and it is of great importance and since your loyalty to the prince is truly remarkable I can only trust you to carry it out.” I state but I can’t tell if he’s somewhat interested in what I wish to propose to him or not. He just doesn’t have much expressions on his face, well on his uninjured part that is.

“And what may that be?” He asks.

“I need names. Names of those that are faithful and loyal to the prince. I also need names of those to be wary about of all ranks. Names of soldiers, stewards, maids, stable boys, everyone basically who could come into direct contact with the prince.” I quickly explain and ask, “Can you carry this job out for me discreetly?”

“It will be done ocean lord.” He replies and walks away.

“Good. Rest assure, I won’t let the prince out of my sight.” I say back as he continues climbing down the stone steps without a word.

This man is truly odd. Well, in a way he does match with a few here. I must say that the Islanders that I’ve seen so far aren’t exactly too similar to the humans that I once knew in Atlantica. The Islanders that I’ve seen here are much rougher and tougher. They lack this sophistication and grace that the Atlanticans had but the castle here is the real deal. They sure would have been rather proud of this grand castle that's for sure.

Ginoza will definitely be comfortable during his stay here. He will have a whole living quarter all to himself. His future entourage that he will probably have in the near future will be easier to entertain in here if he chooses to have some that is. His bedroom is on one side of the living quarter while mine is on the other side and if he needs me I will be very close. The bath chamber is the room that separates both bed chambers so again, he has everything that he needs in this tower.

He sure will be comfortable here indeed but enough admiring the stylish living area for now and I enter Ginoza’s bed chambers only to find him sitting on the window’s edge instead of lying in bed of which I would strongly prefer since right now, he's sitting in a rather dangerous location. What on earth is he even thinking? He could lose his balance and fall to his death.

“You should be in bed resting.” I tell him, catching his attention in the process.

“I can’t sleep…” He mutters but that’s not really an excuse for being out of bed. He’s surely in no shape to be walking around right now, he lost a lot of blood and needs to take it easy.

“And sitting on the window’s edge is supposed to help?” I ask as I approach him cautiously as I hope that he won't try to do anything stupid.

“I hate this room…” He mutters and I honestly can’t understand why he would hate this room.

It’s quite a stylish room actually. He’s got a rather large feather bed that seems rather comfortable with an high canopy and curtains that he can shut close if he wants. He's got a really nice wooden desk with all sorts of things that he can use to entertain himself with and not to mention that the room is quite spacious too.

“This is where you’ll be sleeping during your stay here.” I tell him and add, “I find this room quite charming; I really don’t see what’s the problem.”

“Everything is red…” He mutters back.

Is that it? He doesn’t like this room because everything is red? Well to be honest not everything is red actually. Yes the blankets, canopy and the pillows are red but they're not just plain red. They're red with gold brocade. 

The furnitures in here are a rich golden oak and the walls are a dark silver stones so not everything is red like he says. To be honest, all this red and gold is quite romantic and sensual if you ask me.

“You don’t like red?” I ask and continue, “Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It is the color of fire. It is associated with energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.”

“It reminds me of blood. That’s why I don’t like red and I’ve seen enough blood within the last few days. I really don’t need to be reminded of that.” Ginoza tells me and I understand what he experienced back at Emerald Harbor was not pleasant for him and I'm sure that he witnessed things that he probably wish that he never saw but he can’t linger on it.

“Ginoza, you’re going to see a lot more blood before all of this settles so you better start getting used to it.” I tell him.

“You say it like it’s so easy.” He replies as he climbs down the window’s edge, “But it’s not and I don’t think I can-”

“Ginoza! Are you okay?” I ask as I catch him in my arms before he could fall on the floor when he lost his balance and from his facial expression, he seems rather lightheaded right now. “You should be resting; you’re not strong enough to be walking around.” I state as I lift him up in my arms and bring him back to bed, carefully laying him down.

“I’m not strong for anything…” He mutters as I lay a silk sheet over his weak form.

“Don’t say that, you’ll get better soon. You’ll see.” I tell him as I lay another sheet over him.

“I’ve always been prone to sickness.” Ginoza informs me as he looks at me with sickly eyes and continues. “I’m always sick and I guess if it hadn’t been for my title, I probably would have died a long time ago…”

The fact that Ginoza is prone to sickness isn’t something that surprises me. Actually, I already figured that he must have been since he’s been so sheltered all of his life. His body is not used to being exposed to so many people and being to new locations. It’s only normal that Ginoza would be sick often but his body will get stronger. That I know, he’s a fighter even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

“You’re prone to sickness because you’ve been isolated for so long. Your body is weak to anything that it comes in contact with but trust me, when I’m done with you. You will have health of steel.” I tell him as I sit down on the bed next to him.

“My mother used to take me walking every day in the busy streets of the capital and I was always sick…” He says. “My parents were always happy with each other except for when they argued because of me. My father didn’t want me around the common people anymore because of my poor health while my mother stated that it was good for me. They never saw eye to eye about what was best for me.” He further says and that’s kind of sad.

I can understand why Ginoza is so hard on himself, why he becomes depressed so easily. It all goes back to when he was a child. Since his parents often argued about his well-being, he must feel like he caused a strain between his mother and father but all of that was not his fault.

“So after your mother died, there was nothing to stop your father from isolating you from the outside world.” I say and Ginoza slightly nods.

“Something like that…” He admits.

“Your father did what he thought was best for you. He wanted to protect you and the only way he knew how to do that was to isolate you completely but in doing that he crippled you. He suffocated you so much that you know nothing.” I state and that’s pretty much what happened.

Ginoza’s father didn’t do what he did in order to cause his son harm. He genuinely did what he believed was best for his child at the time and he still does. His child’s safety is the most important thing of all but unintentionally, he’s tearing his son apart.

“Kougami, I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes to be king. I can’t do it.” Ginoza says after a few minutes of silence, taking me out of my thoughts as tears roll down his cheeks.

“You can, because you must. You can because I know you have the potential to do it; I know you will be the greatest king this kingdom has ever seen.” I quickly tell him as I cup his face with my hands and I wipe his tears with my thumbs. “You will establish a dynasty that will last a thousand years” I add.

“Kougami-”

“I’m not the only one who sees a king in you. Do you honestly think the Islanders would stand by you if they did not?” I ask but I’m not expecting an answer as I continue, “You will be king. You'll be better than your father. You'll be a great king because you have a kind and tender heart.”

“Clueless, don’t forget that part…” He mutters.

“You will learn. You’re too hard on yourself. You have to give yourself a chance and you’ll see.” I tell him but he doesn’t seem convinced.

Ginoza is just too hard on himself. He’s so afraid that he’ll mess up that it’s all that he thinks about. He’s making himself sick by overthinking about everything. The thing is that he forgets that he’s not alone and that means that he doesn’t have to do everything by himself.

“I’ll be the worse king in history-”

“No! The worse king in history is your grandfather who brought shame to your family. He was a lunatic with the personality of a lobster and from what I hear from the Islanders, your father is working very hard to fix the mistakes that your grandfather made during his reign.” I cut him off with a tone a bit too harsh but I just can’t allow Ginoza to drag himself into the dirt like that. “I didn’t want to say anything but your grandfather was a madman who executed his people without mercy. He set them on fire and watched them burn alive as they screamed.” I further tell him, his eyes wide in shock as he stares back at me.

I didn’t want to tell Ginoza what his grandfather was but he needs to know. I know it’s not a pleasant thing to hear but for Ginoza’s sake, he needs to know that no matter what he’ll do, he’ll never be worse than his grandfather.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Ginoza**

“No! The worse king in history is your grandfather who brought shame to your family. He was a lunatic with the personality of a lobster and from what I hear from the Islanders, your father is working very hard to fix the mistakes that your grandfather made during his reign. I didn’t want to say anything but your grandfather was a madman who executed his people without mercy. He set them on fire and watched them burn alive as they screamed.” Kougami suddenly barks at me before I could even finish what I was saying.

My eyes are glued onto Kougami’s. He’s being serious and somewhat frustrated but it’s not true and I don't understand why he would even say such a thing. He's accusing my grandfather of cruelty, my own blood of having committed savagery. My grandfather was a good man, he was a great king who loved his people and they loved him back in return. He didn’t set his people on fire; he didn’t watch them burn alive. No, he would have rose up against anyone who would have done such a thing.

“That’s not true-!”

“Your grandfather murdered sons and raped daughters in front of their fathers. He burned men alive and laughed as they screamed. When the people rose in revolt against him, your grandfather set their towns and castles aflame in order to subdue them with terror.” Kougami quickly cuts me off again.

It’s not true. He’s lying, he’s been fed lies! My grandfather would never do such a thing. He wouldn’t! He was a kind man and he was forced to carry out the king’s justice to protect the peace when crimes would occur. It was his duty, he never liked it! He was a good and respected man!

“Get out!” I shout back as I remove my gaze away from Kougami’s in order to try and escape him.

The door suddenly swings open and Kane enters the room followed by Dormer and I’m not exactly sure why but I’m relieved to see both of them.

“What’s happening in here?” Kane calmly asks as he steps closer, his eyes shifting from me to Kougami.

“Educating the prince about history that he refuses to acknowledge.” Kougami answers and I just want to kick him for that statement but I don't.

“I believe that the prince has asked you to leave.” Kane tells him in his usual calm voice. 

Without a word other than a short sigh, Kougami stands up as both men exchange a glance before Kougami walks away. He quietly exits the room while the two Islanders remain and instead I’m given an apologetic look from Kane instead and Dormer closes the door of my bed chamber.

“Was it all true?” I reluctantly ask knowing full well that they probably heard everything that Kougami had just said. “My grandfather was a monster?”

“He was a madman, no need to torment yourself over the matter little bird.” Dormer quickly answers without much emotion in his tone.

If it’s true then how can this be? How can I have lived fifteen years and never hear a single negative thing about my grandfather? All I ever heard about him were good things that he did. How his reign was fruitful and that he did a lot of great things and yet now I’m being told that he butchered people just because he could?

“Your grandfather showed great promises when he started his reign. He achieved peace and the realm prospered but as he grew older his mind started to deteriorate.” Kane starts telling me after a bit of silence filled the room and continues, “His insanity was caused by many factors. His wife’s many miscarriages and stillbirths and the death of three sons. The betrayals and imprisonment for a year and a half only further fueled his paranoia and eventually it all went out of control.”

Since I can remember, I’ve been tutored from a very young age and I was thought about the many kings that came before my father and never once was I thought about the cruelties that my grandfather committed. I was told how he raised great keeps and strong strongholds. How he managed politics and how he kept the peace within the realm. How he had better granaries built in order to prevent the grains from becoming contaminated and cause famines and how he subdued the Islanders' rebellion. There was never any mention about acts of cruelty or anything. There has to be a mistake and yet Kane’s eyes are sincere and I don’t think Dormer would try to sugar coat anything. He’s always been direct and straightforward so I guess it has to be true…

“Is that how I’m going to end up?” I ask after a long silence.

If my grandfather was such a despicable man, then how can I be sure that my people even want me as their future king? It sure would explain why we have enemies within the realm. They must be houses that my grandfather has done them wrong and they want vengeance. They probably don’t view my father as their rightful king and after what my grandfather did, they want an end of my house…

“No, of course not.” Kane quickly states in a gentle tone. “Your grandfather was said to have been a generous, resolute and a handsome man in his youth but he was always somewhat quick to anger. He was also vain, proud and changeable. All traits that made him easy prey for lickspittles and flatterers. And as he grew older, your grandfather became increasingly jealous, suspicious and cruel and not to mention prone to furious outbursts.” He explains so does that mean that my grandfather wasn’t always a madman? If so, what does that make me?

From what Kane states, my grandfather started out as a good king with a few flaws but who doesn’t have flaws to begin with? No one is perfect and yet, instead of improving it would seem that my grandfather went from good, to bad, to worse. But if it’s all true, why didn’t anyone try to stop him? Why didn’t anyone tell him what he was doing was wrong? It’s like his council wanted him to do such acts, as if it was encouraged and they simply stood there and watched…

“You’re nothing of the sort little bird.” Dormer states but how can he be so sure?

If all of this is true, his blood flows through my veins. I could become the same too and what if the word goes out that I’m not human? What will happen then! Or maybe some already do know and the rebellion that happened back in Emerald Harbor was because of me. That lord Richmond was betrayed because he wanted to help me and his subjects refused to do so and if that’s the case, I can’t really blame them. Who would want a freak of nature with the blood of a madman flowing through its vein as their future king…?

“You may be proud but you are not vain nor easy to anger. You’re innocent and maybe a little naive at times but you have no jealousy nor do you enjoy watching cruelty.” Kane tells me as he paces around the room for a bit before sitting down on the corner of the desk and looks at me before continuing. “You might be his grandson, but you are not your grandfather.”

“I was told that my grandfather died of old age. Was that true?” I ask and Kane lightly shakes his head and now I just feel even worse.

“I’m afraid not. Your grandfather was killed in order to save this kingdom.” Kane answers and I guess that makes sense. In order to stop madness from a king, the only way to make it end is to kill that said king in order to put a new one on the throne…

“By who?” I ask already knowing what the answer probably is and yet I’m hoping to hear another answer.

“That will be a story for another time.” He answers and I wish he would just tell me instead of leaving me hanging or maybe the answer is just so terrible that he believes that it’s best that I don’t know.

Maybe he’s right…

Maybe it’s better that I don’t know more about my grandfather’s fate that he brought onto himself but it’s still hard to digest. It’s hard to accept that my own grandfather was a tyrant. Maybe even worse and the thing that angers me most is that again, I was kept completely in the dark. I’m tired of being kept in the dark and instead of taking this new found information with grace, I shouted at Kougami.

At this rate, I’m no better than my grandfather. What I just did with Kougami, he probably did the exact same thing with the members of his council. Maybe he did worse; maybe he would murder anyone who would defy him. Maybe if anyone told him anything that my grandfather didn’t want to hear or if anyone would tell him no, he would have them killed for treason. Maybe…

“But your grandfather gave his enemies the justice he thought they deserved. And each time, it made him feel powerful and right, until the very end.” Kane further tells me as he walks over my bed and sits down next to me.

“I’m not my grandfather…” I mutter back.

“No. Thank the Gods for that.” He quickly states.

Ever since I met this man, his tone is always gentle and calm. He never raises his voice nor has he ever shown any forms of violence towards anyone. He’s a gentle man and yet he commands respect from his men. 

Unlike most Islanders, his appearance is much softer. Cleaner even, and his hair isn't a total mess. His hair fall a little over his shoulders but he keeps it well groomed with a clean shaven face unlike most Islanders. I can easily understand why Sugo holds him in great respect. Kane sure would make a great liege lord someday if that would ever happen.

“Now tell me. What kind of king do you think you will be?” He asks, taking me out of my thoughts.

“A good king…” I mutter. Well hopefully I will be but I’m not exactly sure that I will be a good one at this rate. There’s so much to consider, so many different houses and the country itself is so large. I still can’t remember everything about all the great houses and the lesser houses. I still haven’t been able to memorize which lesser house belong to the greater ones.

“I think so as well; you have the right temperament for it.” He tells me and asks, “But what makes a good king?”

What makes a good king?

To be honest I don’t know. Is my father a good king? Is he viewed as a good king by the people and by the nobles? That I don’t know. I think he’s loved by all but is he really? Everything that I thought I knew is slowly starting to be revealed to have been all a lie. Nothing I knew is true so what else is false?

“Strength?” I say my answer, not really sure if it’s the right one.

“Yes, strength is a good quality. King Gendry was strong; he unified all of the lands and formed what we know as the country Ilindor today. He forced the high lords of each great houses to bend the knee, resulting in the lesser houses to do the same. After that, he attended not more than three council meetings in the twenty-five years during his rule. He spent his time whoring, hunting and drinking until the last two killed him.” Kane recounts and at least that I knew to some extend. I didn't know that he didn't attend his councils though but should it really surprise me from a drunk?

King Gendry was my father’s grandfather and he was the one who fully unified the country into one. And from what I read, and from what Maester Aemon told me about my great grandfather. He was a drunk who preferred being with other women than with his own wife. He had more bastards than he had legitimate children; well apparently he only had three. My grandfather, a stillborn and a daughter who later died when she was around my age…

My great grandfather was said to have been a formidable soldier but when the crown fell onto him, he put away his sword once he unified the kingdom and never fought again afterwards but he never put his wine away. He kept on drinking until one day when he went hunting he had an accident. Apparently he was riding while he was looking up at the sky and paid no mind to where his horse was taking him until he rode off a cliff to his death.

“What about justice?” I suggest. I mean a king should be able to uphold justice. He should be able to give judgement on both the common folk and the nobles equally.

“Yes, Justice is indeed another good quality that a good king must possess. King  Lyonel the Just he was called; everyone applauded his reforms and he did not discriminate whether you were noble or a commoner. He was just to all and he was loved by both commoners and nobles alike but he wasn’t just for long. He was murdered during his sister’s wedding feast by his own brother because he failed to see an evil that lurked in his net.”  Kane recounts but I don’t recall reading about that king during my studies with maester Aemon. I'm not exactly sure which king that was, it must have been the earlier kings or the mid ones. I'm not sure.

“Holiness?” I further suggest but I’m not really certain that it is really something that makes a good king.

A good king would respect the beliefs of his subjects even if he himself does not. As for that, I do have my own beliefs and I find prayers to be helpful for me but in the end they are just prayers. If there are things that need to be done, you have to do them. You have to go get what it is that you want yourself. No matter how many times you pray, it won’t happen if you don’t put in the effort.

“Baal the Blessed was a holy and pious king. He was the eldest son of the first king and he was the one who built the grand citadel in the capital. He also named an eight year old boy a Grand Maester because he believed that the boy could work miracles. He ended up fasting himself to an early grave because so many food was deemed uncleaned and died due to malnutrition.” Kane recounts and once again, my answer was wrong.

I understand that holiness might not be exactly a quality that is most needed to be a king. Being holy and pious actually helps to build one’s character. If you follow the faith then you always want to be a better person and you will live by the book. After all, violence is not encouraged. It is encouraged to love one another and to be kind so in a way holiness is somewhat important to have in your life but it should never be used to commit acts of violence.

“So, we have a man who thought winning and ruling was the same thing, a man who allowed his own brother to murder him and a man who starved himself to death. What did they all lack?” Kane asks, his eyes staring at me as he waits an answer.

“Wisdom?” I mutter and somehow I like that answer. I mean if you have wisdom it makes making decisions that much easier because you know more. “Yes, wisdom is what makes a good king.” I tell him more firmly.

“Yes, wisdom is the quality that is most important beyond everything else in order to be a good king. But what is wisdom?” Kane agrees and I feel a bit better that I finally got a right answer but the question that followed, I’m not exactly sure how to answer it. “Take this for an instant. A house with great wealth and fertile lands asks you for your protection against another house with a strong navy that could one day oppose you. How do you know which choice is wise and which is not?” Kane adds.

What should be the correct answer here? If a wealthy house who possess fertile lands ask for protection against another house who has a strong navy… In this scenario it kind of sounds like the Gainsboroughs who are the liege lords of the reach. They just so happen to be part of my family’s most loyal allies, they’ve always been there in times of need. The house with a strong navy sounds like the Islanders but I’m probably overthinking it a bit.

If I ignore everything and just focus on the scenario at hand, it’s really a hard decision to make. If I choose to protect the wealthy house with the fertile lands well the threatening house could come and attack. In turn my decision to protect the wealthy house could have been for nothing if I can't defend them. But, if I choose the powerful house well if a time comes and the realm needs more food, the wealthy family might not help out of spite.

There’s also the possibility of attacking the wealthy house to get them to submit but by doing that it might damage the crops and who knows what else might happen.

“I don’t know…”I admit.

“A wise king knows what he knows and what he doesn't. You're young. A wise young king listens to his councilors and heeds their advice until he comes of age. And the wisest kings continue to listen to them long afterwards. Your grandfather was not a wise king. Your grandfather was not a good king. If he had been, he'd probably still be alive and he would probably still be king.” Kane explains and yeah I guess that he is right.

There’s a reason why kings hold councils and why it usually consist of several individuals. After all, it would be impossible for a single person to do everything by themselves so jobs are given to qualified individuals to better run the kingdom more effectively and smoothly.

There is the master of whisperers who is in charge of gathering intelligence within the realm as discreetly as possible and then brings them forward to the king. The man himself who has this job, I do not know since I’ve never met him but apparently he is quite gifted in his job.

Then there is the master of laws. This individual is responsible of bringing forth the commands of the king. It is this person who declares the king’s justice and manages the jails and such. That position is held by one of my distant cousins from house Payne. To be honest though, I don’t really like him.

Another position is the master of ships who is held by the Stone Commander that I now know is Teppei Sugo and I must say that he is quite strange and yet effective. He’s the one responsible for the royal fleet and manages the constructions of ships and considering that he is the liege lord of the Stone Islands, it kind of suits him well. Who better to build ships?

There’s the master of coins. This man’s job is to manage the finances of the country and from what I hear, my father watches the man like a hawk and to be honest I don’t blame my father for doing so. The master of coins could easily destroy a country if they don’t do their job correctly.

The lord commander of the kingsguard and the commander of the city watch also have a seat at the council but the lord commander of the kingsguard holds a higher seat than the other. Unlike the commander of the city watch, the other is responsible for battle strategies during war times also known as master of wars and he is also charged about formulating plans to keep the royal family safe.

Lastly but not least is the grand maester who has been held by maester Aemon for many years and all seven men all together serve as advisors to the king. Some more and some less but they are still all vital to the kingdom.

“I’m just afraid of making the wrong choices.” I mutter.

My biggest fear is that I'll make a bunch of mistakes and many will suffer for them. And by how Kane keeps talking, he makes it sound like my father’s days are numbered and that I will be king really young and quite frankly that thought alone scares me. I’m not ready to be king and the thing is that I have a hard time to trust anyone. I’m feeling so paranoid.

“Right now, you are tired and weak. Now is not the time to worry about what you will become. You should rest; everything will come in its own time.” Kane replies before standing up, gives me a short bow and walks away and leaves the room without another word.

In a way Kane is right, even if I worry about everything, it won’t change anything. In the end all of my worrying will be for nothing and in the end nothing will change…

I look up towards the door only to find Dormer still standing there but Kane is long gone and I wonder if Kougami is in the living area. The way I acted with him, I seriously doubt it that he is.

“You won’t tell me who killed my grandfather even if I ask?” I ask Dormer.

“No, little bird.” He answers in his same usual tone.

Figures… Whether he tells me or not, it doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out but I still want to hear it. I guess a part of me is still hoping that it isn’t true or maybe I’m hoping to know the reason why. If there was a really good reason for doing such a thing but either way, there’s never a good reason to kill someone.

“Do I frighten you that much little bird?” Dormer asks causing me to snap out of my thoughts as I look at him.

His size does frighten me, he’s huge but that’s not exactly it. It’s his face, his face just scares me. Half of his face is so severely scarred. It’s been burned and there are some signs that he’s been cut or maybe it’s been torn and sewn back together. I’m not exactly sure but it’s only something that I’ve seen in my nightmares.

“No… Not really... It’s just, your scar; it looks to have been so painful.” I say half truthfully since he does scare me but I don’t want to admit it.

“It was, I won’t deny that fact little bird.” He tells me.

“Little bird… You always call me that. What does that even mean?” I ask.

“Does it bother you?” He asks in return instead of answering my question as he steps closer towards my bed and I wish he hadn’t and I’m not sure why I feel that way.

“No, I just wondered that’s all…” I mutter as I lower my gaze from his.

“I’m a soldier who’s got the size to kill and half of a scarred face to strike terror in my enemies.” He tells me and I quickly look up to meet his eyes. 

“You won’t hurt me.” I blurt out the words, never breaking eye contact and quite frankly I’m not even sure why I told him that and yet I feel like it’s true. The man himself scares me, his face is frightening but I don’t feel like I’m in any danger with him. Actually I don't feel like anyone could ever hurt me as long as he's here.

“No little bird. I won’t hurt you.” He admits and for the first time his face softened as he stepped closer and sits down on the footing of my bed and I feel the mattress sink. “I have a daughter about your age you know; she’s not very fond of my face either.” He tells me and I feel a smile form onto my lips.

Never once had it occurred to me that Dormer was a father, it didn’t even occurred to me that he was married. He seems so rough; he really did not seem like the type of man a woman would want.

“I didn’t know you’re married.” I say.

“Was…” He quickly replies and my smiles quickly faded away. “I’m a giant and that’s a problem. The men in my family, we’re all giants and we either kill our wives in bed or by giving birth. Mine died while giving birth.” He tells me with a hint of pain in his eyes but his voice never gave away how he felt but his eyes sure did show his sadness.

“I’m sorry…” I say and ask. “You never remarried?”

“No, I already killed one wife because I wanted one and children even though I knew the risks. I don’t plan on killing another because I want to extend my line.” Dormer tells me and that’s just sad.

It’s all things that had never occurred to me. I’ve often seen large men, well only  a few large men like Dormer and I often heard how their wives often died and it was sad but they soon enough found a new one only for them to die soon afterwards. It never occurred to me that their wives died because of their husbands.

Dormer may be a hard man, a ruthless man even but I’m glad to see that he has a soft spot for his daughter and that he has respect for women. He could have cared less about what would happen to his wives. He could have been selfish and continued until a son would have been born to him but he chose not to and that says a lot. Dormer might not be such a cold hearted man after all.

“How did you get your scars?” I dare ask.

“My eldest brother, little bird.” Dormer answers grimly.

Now that's something that I wasn’t expecting. I was expecting him to tell me something like it was an accident or it was what he got during a fierce battle. I sure wasn’t expecting him to tell me that it was his own brother that did it to him.

“Why?” I ask.

“He believed that I stole one of his toys. A wooden knight actually but I didn’t steal it. I was just playing with it after my brother discarded it after he claimed that he didn’t want it anymore.” He starts telling me and I just can’t help but feel disgusted as he continues, “My brother shoved my face into burning coals. He held me there as I screamed, while my face melted away. The pain was bad, the smell was even worse but the worst thing about it was that it was my own brother who did it.”

I’ve heard of sibling arguments and confrontations between kins but they never ended like that. I’ve never heard of someone hurting their siblings because of a toy. That is beyond crazy, truly unbelievable and unforgivable.

“How did your father punish your brother?” I ask and asking that, I just can’t help but wonder what my father would have done if he had been faced with such a situation. He would have been furious, that is without a doubt. He would have been extremely furious.

“He didn’t. Instead of punishing his eldest son for what he did to his younger brother who was only five at the time. He protected him and told everyone that my bedding had caught on fire.” Dormer answers and I just can’t believe it. How could a father just lie to protect his eldest son who is the one who did such an inhuman thing to his own sibling?

“But how could the Islanders stand by that? How could your liege lord turn a blind eye to such a thing?” I ask.

“I’m no Islander little bird.” He answers and continues, “I endured my kins longer than I should have. After my wife died, I took my daughter and never looked back and I’m not the only one. Kane is not a born Islander either but he came when he was still at his mother’s breast so in a sense he’s more Islander than I ever will.”

Okay, now that is all new and quite frankly I’m not really sure how to think about it. Exactly how many Islanders I have met that are not actual born Islanders? And more importantly, why did people from the mainland leave and decided to go to the Stone Islands of all place since seven years ago, the Islanders were in exile. That’s just weird.

“That’s not right, it shouldn’t be okay.” I tell him but he seems to be just indifferent to what I just said. Like he really does not care.

“Little bird, I’m not perfect either. I’m no different than the members of my house and I carry my house’s sigil still and a hound does not need honor or courage to chase off rats.” He tells me in that same tone that he always uses.

Before it would have fazed me a little but I’m starting to figure out how this man behaves and yeah he probably doesn’t need honor or courage to chase off rats. I already know that he will kill without a second thought but he’s not heartless. He wants everyone to think that he is but he’s not and I seriously doubt it that he speaks this way to his daughter.

“You want everyone to believe that you’re heartless. You have the size and the appearance for it so it must be true that you’re a mad dog but you’re not.” I reply and for the first time a soft smile forms on his lips and that makes my day. I love seeing that this man who can do such monstrocious things can also have a kind heart.

“We are known as the crown’s dogs. Any dirty jobs that needs to be done, it is my house that the crown sends to carry it out. Killing is what we do, we are a small house but the whole realm knows who we are.” Dormer explains and my suspicions about which house he might have belonged to was correct.

Can’t say that I’ve met many members of that house though. I did meet the lord of the house, he’s an old man but he’s not frail for his age. He still carries his weight like he was still young and I met his son and heir. He’s just as huge as his father but much more ferociously looking. I once heard my cousin call that man as the crown’s mad dog so I’m assuming that must be the brother that burned Dormer’s face.

“It isn’t right. All of it, it’s hateful-”

“You'll be glad of the hateful things I do some day, when you're king, and I'm all that stands between you and your enemies.” Dormer quickly cuts me off as he rises up to his feet. “But do know little bird. A hound will die for you, but will never lie to you. He’ll look you straight in the eyes as he tells you the harsh truth. But, even a dog gets tired of being kicked and when a dog goes bad, the fault lies with his master.” He adds.

“You’re not a dog…” I tell him tiredly.

“Little bird, when your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. You do what you must in order to keep yourself and your loyal subjects alive. When your enemies drop to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Else-wise no man will ever bend the knee to you nor will they if you are a ruthless ruler.” He responds to my comment before distancing himself from me, turns away and closes the door behind him as he leaves my room and once again I’m alone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Kougami**

I shouldn’t have said that. I should have kept my mouth glued shut but I just couldn’t. I ended up saying more than I should have and in the end I hurt Ginoza. 

I had no right to tell him about his grandfather. It wasn’t my place to do so but I just couldn’t bare to listen to him continue dragging himself down into the dirt like that for another instant when historically I knew better.

When the Giant and the newly temporary appointed lord of the Stone Islands entered the room in all haste I was sure that I was done for. With all that shouting, I was certain that I would have been asked to leave the island but I wasn’t. Actually neither Kane or that Giant tried to reprimand me for what I did and for what I said to their prince. Actually both of them agreed with my actions fully and Kane told Ginoza everything about his grandfather and he listened.

Kane finished what I started but he did it much better than I did. Ginoza actually listened to him. Kane was able to make him listen without having to raise his voice but I couldn’t and I know it was because of the way I told him. I did it wrong but I’m grateful that someone was able to say what was on my heart and I’m relieved to know that I have two people on this island who are on my side. I’m grateful that there are two great men on this island that sees things my way because Ginoza needs to know the truth.

Anyway…

I know now that Ginoza has two exceptional men on his side who will help to guide him on the right path and that’s good but when it comes to me, I royally fucked up. After what happened, I haven’t been able to face Ginoza. I’ve been constantly avoiding him day and night…

I’ve still kept an eye on him, watching what he’s been doing and he seems to be doing quite well. For one thing, he’s been quite busy with maester Rodrigue and from what I hear the old maester is actually teaching his prince things that he actually needs to know. He’s now learning the grim history of his country and getting a better education on each noble houses.

This island surely is something else altogether. I’ve never seen such a thing in my life. If I had to give a name to this island, to this city, I would call it the monster because that’s what it is. I’m amazed by the natural half-moon wall that surrounds the island and yet it still leaves quite a large space between it and the island to the point that I can barely see it from here if I were to stand on the balcony of the tower of joy or the battlement of the keep.

The island itself is quite high and the harbor isn’t exactly part of the island since it was man made many years ago. It’s basically a floating harbor that’s connected to a draw bridge that closes off the city from the port if need be. Well every night the draw bridge gets risen for security purposes and they also would rise it if the island ever gets attack.

If by some streak of bad luck would occur and the draw bridge would fall, the enemy would still have to raise the steel grill in order to enter the city. And due to the wall being so close to the edge of the island, there's not much room for using any siege weapons so the only way for the enemy to enter would be through the main and only entrance to the city.

It’s a shame though that the harbor isn’t protected by the massive walls too but that would have been pretty much impossible to do. However, from what I hear, no enemy has ever been able to cross the half-moon wall with their fleet still intact. So in order for the enemy to get here, they would have to destroy the first line of defenses. But by then, their forces will have dropped significantly so whatever that would manage to get through would be flies storming onto the second defense.

The city was built on this island with the sole purpose of war in mind and its structure was precisely built for battle tactics. Everything about this city's design was carefully planned out and constructed with nothing but the best material. The city is protected by a massive wall located at the edge of the island all around and the castle is no different. The defenses of this massive castle are just as amazing as the city wall and whoever built this grand architecture was just really amazing. There was nothing this man didn't think of. He thought of possibly every little thing in order to facilitate to repel a siege.

The castle itself has a massive keep in the center of the castle. The keep is surrounded by the general architecture of the castle with a flat roof that men can climb down from the keep. The battlement that surrounds the general architecture of the castles allows archers to better position themselves to defend the castle if need be.

The four large towers on each corners of the castle don't have much usage for war since they are basically used to house members of the castle but they help to give an awe-inspiring effect to the large architecture. The castle alone is truly a massive structure and quite impressive alone but it doesn't stop there. The castle is then protected by a motte-and-bailey with a grand courtyard in the front of the castle and a majestic garden in the back.

A grand curtain wall combined with strong battlements then completely surrounds everything with only a single gatehouse for entrance and to top off the defenses a deep and steep moat surrounds the curtain wall and another drawbridge was added with a steel grill to the gatehouse for added defense.

If there were an attack, the enemy wouldn't just have to get through one line of defense but they would have to breach the first one of which would consist of a navy defense and then they would have to lay siege to the second that is the city wall. If the enemy would somehow succeed in breaking through, they would then have to work on breaking the third line of defense but by that time, the enemy army will have been reduced to nothing.

Anyway, the garden is quite spectacular. It’s a great place to go if one wants to escape from the reality of the world for a bit. The center is a water garden with a luxurious wooden structure which I’m assuming is used for dinning purposes or entertaining guests under I guess. I’m not exactly sure what it’s called but it is quite lovely.

“I haven’t seen you for two weeks. I thought that maybe you had left the island.” I hear Ginoza say, taking me out of my thoughts as I turn around to see him walk towards me.

The last time I saw him was three days ago. He was still wearing the Islanders’ typical style of clothing at the time but today he’s not. He’s now wearing a dark green symmetrical shoulder cuff tunic with silver and black  brocade that extends down to a little above his knees over another tunic with long white sleeves that are fasten a bit tighter at the wrists made of a much lighter material than the sleeveless tunic.

He's wearing black pants under his tunic with knee high black boots and to top his new style, he wears the same silver belt that he had worn on our first day at the island. I must say that he looks somewhat more polished dressed like that and his hair is a tad bit longer. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that he’s allowing his hair to grow out or maybe he just hasn’t had it trimmed yet.

“I wanted to give you some space.” I tell him and that’s partly the truth but I can’t believe that he thought that I had left the island. Of course I didn’t leave. I told him that I would watch him like a hawk and I plan on doing so but I also don’t want to suffocate him either. I know when to back off and I just wanted to give him his space. I owe him that for what I did.

“I’m sorry for how I behaved. Princes should not shout or yell at their councilors. They should always listen when given council and I didn’t do that because I didn’t want to hear it even though I knew that you wouldn’t lie to me.” Ginoza tells me as he holds his hands behind him, giving an air of sophistication to his posture as he spoke.

It’s really strange how simple clothing can make such a difference in a person's appearance. Dressed like that, it’s like he commands authority. The weird thing is that his new clothes doesn’t really make him stand out much. The colours that he’s wearing isn’t really bold or anything but the style of his clothing is sophisticated and yet it calls to be obeyed. He’s dressed like a king.

“You have to understand that it pains me when you are so hard on yourself.” I reply and it does pain me to hear him drag himself into the dirt like he often does because I know what he’s capable of. Deep down, I know he can achieve such great things and I want to help him get there.

“I’m afraid… It’s a lot to deal with. Everything is falling on me and I’m stuck in a position that I just don’t know anything. Everything that I knew is a lie or half-truth.” He says and that’s true. I can’t ignore the fact that he’s being shoved a lot of things on his shoulders at a fast pace and that’s a lot to deal with at such a young age.

Ginoza has been through so much already. He lost his mother at a young age because someone took her away from him and due to that he’s been isolated from the outside world by his father in order to protect his son. There’s a lot of things that Ginoza needs to come to terms with and all those things are not easy things to accept but he has to if he wants to move forward.

“I know it’s a lot and you’re young. That’s what makes it even harder and the thing is, it’s obvious that your father hasn’t groomed you for the throne.” I state.

Normally kings start grooming their heir at a young age. First, they start teaching their young the common things such as court courtesies and how to properly speak to nobles and the common folk. As the prince gets older, the king starts inviting his son to council meetings and teaches the young prince how the world works but it’s quite obvious that Ginoza’s father hasn’t done so at all and quite frankly I’m not even sure why because it makes no sense as to why the king would do this.

“No he hasn’t.” Ginoza admits. “The commander of the king's guard has been teaching me about swordplay while maester Aemon has been tutoring me since I can remember and my governess has raised me to behave like this perfect little prince.” He further admits.

Ginoza basically just told me right there that he’s been solemnly raised by three individuals who are probably not even related to him at all. First I’m assuming that maester Aemon has been tutoring Ginoza about history, how to read and write among other educational things. His governess was probably charged with teaching the prince how to courtesy, speak, stand, eat and other things that are related to court and lastly Ginoza’s combat teacher.

I must wonder, where is his father in all of this?

“Kougami, can I ask you a question?” Ginoza suddenly ask, catching my attention.

“Absolutely.” I quickly answer.

“Kane told me that my grandfather was murdered but he wouldn’t tell me who did.” He starts telling and I know where this is going. “Do you know?” He asks, of course he did…

“I’ve heard some things. I wasn’t there when it happened so what I heard might not be accurate.” I choose to answer hoping that he’ll leave it at that but that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

“Please.” He insists.

Why must he give me that look? Why must he look at me with those pleading eyes? With that look, I just can’t tell him no. He gets me every single time and by how he’s dressed, it just makes it even harder to refuse him.

“I heard that it was your father himself that killed the former king.” I tell him as I carefully choose my words and continue, “He stabbed his own father in the back apparently and that ended the rebellion.”

I remember seeing the chaos that ensued from a distance but I never dared to approach the docks in order to see exactly what was happening because I knew whatever it was, it sure wasn’t good and it was best to stay away. Everything had been total madness and seeing Emerald Harbor burn a few weeks ago only served to remind me of what I saw back then.

Eighteen years ago, I remember seeing Fueno fully engulfed in flames and all I could hear were the screams of people as they tried to escape the raging chaos. It was through distant conversations here and there that I learned that all the chaos that was happening throughout the land was caused by the king.

They kept saying how the king had become mad. How he had set fire onto the towns controlled by small lords and completely eradicated a few noble houses due to their so called betrayal but they had been innocent of the crimes they had been accused of. The last straw had been when the king had executed his queen after she gave birth to a stillborn son. And sometime after that, Ginoza’s father killed his own father and became the new king at that point.

“That’s what I thought… I was hoping that I was wrong.” Ginoza voices out with a somewhat disappointed expression but he seems to be taking the news quite well which is good.

He’s much calmer today. I still feel some uncertainties coming from him but he seems to be somewhat stronger mentally. A little less vulnerable or maybe it’s his new clothes that gives him that confident appearance but he carries himself quite well.

“Kougami, why are you sticking so close to me?” He asks and I’m hurt that he would ask me such a question. I already told him why I’m sticking to him or maybe he thought I wasn’t being serious or maybe I didn't make my intentions clear enough.

“I like you, I like you a lot.” I tell him and ask, “Is that so surprising?”

“I wish you didn’t.” He answers back as he looks away from my gaze.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“Because I don’t like you the same way you like me.” He answers before raising his gaze back onto me and that hurt a bit. To be told that the one that you like doesn’t feel the same way is kind of a downer but I respect him and that’s okay. “If you’re sticking around because you’re hoping that things will change, it won’t.” He adds.

“That’s alright but I’m not going anywhere.” I quickly state and continue, “Look Ginoza, I’m not sticking around because I want to bed you. I’m sticking around because I want to help you and I like you. It doesn’t matter to me if things stay how it is between us.”

I do want to bed him actually. I mean who wouldn’t want to bed someone who is just so beautiful as Ginoza is? I would be thrilled to make love to him in his bed of red and gold in the tower of joy. I would love to hear his voice as pleasure consumes his body. I would love to hear him call out my name in pure ecstasy as he feels his climax reach its peak but I love him. And because I love him, respecting his wishes is more important than having what I want. I don’t want to lose him because of my lust.

“You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had.” He voices out and now I’m touched. I’m glad and relieved to know that he views me as a real friend and not as some water creature that has now acquired human legs.

“Love is a complex thing but that’s the beauty in it. I like you, love you even but we don’t have to be lovers to show that we care for one another.” I tell him exactly what is on my mind and continue, “Love is not about bedding people. Actually, sex does not fit in the equation of love.”

A lot of humans confuse the concept of love and having sex as the same thing when it is not. Love is pure and it can come in so many forms. You don’t have to be sexually intimate in order to love another. All that sex is, it’s about filling the body with pleasure and to produce offsprings. Whether two humans do such acts or not, it does not determine how much they love each other. Love is innocent, that’s it.

“I see you like a brother that I never had.” He admits and I wish he would see me in another way but being seen like a brother isn’t that bad either. It only means that he trusts me on a great level and that alone is enough for me.

“Brotherly love. I can live with that you know.” I tell him as I step closer towards him.

I feel as if I’m being sucked into those emerald eyes of his and I wish I could just get lost into them for an eternity as he gazes into my eyes and I just can’t help but wonder how he feels when he looks into mine. I wonder if he feels like he’s being dragged into mine or maybe it’s only me.

I gently cup his face with my hands smoothly and gently I press my lips against his forehead and I pull away only to receive an odd look from Ginoza for my sudden action.

“Okay that was weird.” He tells me and to be honest I’m not the slightest bit surprised by it and I wonder if such actions are even common to him but chances are, the answer is no.

It’s sad actually when you stop and think about it. Ginoza was raised by three different individuals for three different things. I understand that the king has many responsibilities. He’s expected to manage an entire country and I understand completely that it is time consuming and due to that some sacrifices must be made but children shouldn’t have to suffer due to their parents’ professions.

From the little I’ve heard from the things that Ginoza has told me. He speaks more fondly of maester Aemon than his father which hints me that Ginoza spends more time with the old maester than his own father. And also, chances are the maester must be somewhat of a father figure to Ginoza.

His governess, well, she probably only focuses on his appearance and behaviors. I seriously doubt it that she gives any forms of affection towards Ginoza and as for the man who teaches him how to fight. I seriously doubt it that he’s much of an influence on his life which leaves only the old maester to give Ginoza at least a little affection but that role should be done by his father.

Where is his father for crying out loud!?

I don’t know what the commander intends to do at the capital but I sure hope that he shakes some sense into that king. Ginoza needs a father and if the man can’t be a damn father, I’ll find someone who fucking will be.

“That’s not weird at all. That’s brotherly affection my innocent minded young friend who hasn’t had much human interaction his whole life.” I reply as I give him a smile but he doesn’t return one.

“You know that’s like twisting a dagger that’s been shoved into me.” He tells me and yeah that was kind of insensitive but it’s true.

The thing is that I don’t intend on sugar coating anything for Ginoza. I don’t intend of walking around a problem and pretend that it’s not even there. Certain things can wait while others are more paramount and right now getting him familiar with human interaction, it’s a huge importance.

He needs to learn the diverse greetings and salutations. Kisses on the cheeks are a form of greeting to some people and he can’t be weirded out when they happen. Men usually kiss the hand of ladies as a form of respect while a kiss to the forehead is often given between kins or close subjects as a form of friendly affection. Only kisses on the lips are usually seen between individuals who are in love and all of these kinds of interaction Ginoza will have to learn them. It is expected of him.

“Ginoza, I will be firmly direct with you. We don’t have any time to spare and the things that you need to learn on short notice will be a lot. I urge you to choose a few good men that you trust completely and not listen to any other council than those said men.” I tell him.

“At this point it’s only the Islanders…” He mutters but that’s okay. They have more than proven themselves as trustworthy but it is paramount that he selects a few men that he can trust above all else.

I do hope that he trusts me enough to have me as his advisor. But if he doesn’t confide to me, I will understand but it would surprise me. Anyway, as those whom he can trust for certain are only a few but their loyalty is without a doubt strong. For starters, that giant is without a doubt Ginoza’s strongest supporter and then there’s the commander’s second in command, Kane. The man has a natural calmness and a level head for diplomacy, Ginoza could learn a lot from this man. There’s that man Murray too. He seems somewhat hot headed but he speaks honestly and isn’t afraid to speak his mind and then there’s the commander himself. When it comes to playing the game of politics, the guy seems to have a gift for it.

“You have innocence, a sweetness we all love. Kill the boy within you; it takes a man to rule.” I tell him as I receive a confused look on his face and add, “Kill the boy. War is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born.”

“How do I do that?” He asks and I invite him to follow me as we slowly walk through the luscious garden back towards the castle.

“Knowledge is a weapon, Ginoza. Arm yourself well before you ride forth to battle.” I calmly explain and continue as we keep on walking, “Build your own council, make your own decisions and lead. Only then will you know what you can do, only then will you learn on how to be a king and yes you will make mistakes. We all do but you get back up and keep on fighting because you are a king.”

“I’m just a prince.” He states and that’s true. As long his father is still alive, he is not king but it doesn’t mean that he can’t act as one. Because one day, he will be king and considering how things are going in this world right now. He might become king much sooner than expected. Hopefully I am wrong. I will pray that the king remains healthy and well for Ginoza’s sake. Right now, if the king were to die. Ginoza is not ready to wear the crown, he needs more time.

“Not in the eyes of these people. To them, you are a king so walk with your head held up high, walk with confidence, walk as the king that I know you are.” I tell him and again, that’s the truth.

The Islanders view Ginoza as their king. To be honest they’ve never had much love for the crown from what I’ve managed to hear these past few weeks. Actually it was only after seeing Ginoza that they’ve had a change of heart. To them, their king as of right now is Ginoza and not his father. Especially now that they know that Ginoza’s mother was one of my people’s princesses. To the Islanders, Ginoza is more valuable than gold and a bunch of precious gems combined.

These people would never betray Ginoza, they would bleed for him, die for him if needed. To them, Ginoza is precious and it is an honor to have the prince under their care. Ginoza could ask for anything in the world and the Islanders would do anything to obtain it for him.

“I wish I had the same confidence in me as you do.” Ginoza voices out.

I understand how he feels. Well, I’m trying to understand how he feels because I’ve never been in his sort of situation before so that’s kind of hard to do but I know he has more than his fair share on his shoulders. It’s a lot, I won’t deny that and I know it’s always easier said than done but I believe in him, I know he can do this.

“Listen to your instincts but don’t be afraid to ask other’s opinions. And from their answers, you make your own decision.” I advise.

“Aaahhh my instincts. Yes my instincts.” He sarcastically responds. “Thanks to my dear maester, I’m unintelligent in things that I really should know but I don’t. I’m unskilled in combat and strategy which I should be but I’m not due to my teacher’s fear that I would injure myself in practice and I’m unskilled in the basic governance nor am I wise in politics all thanks to my father because he’s just not there. Yes my instincts are truly reliable indeed.” He explains his sarcastic remark and I feel his pain. Ginoza is fifteen, lived in luxury in a castle all his life and you’d think that he grew up in a cave or something by the little that he knows. I must say though that his governess did an excellent job by teaching him manners because for that, Ginoza is just perfect.

“These are all things that you know that you lack. Now that you know this, you can do something about it.” I tell him and he gives me a smile in return.

When you know that you lack in something then it is much easier to fix it. If you lack knowledge, you start educating yourself until you know what it is that you need to know. Everything that Ginoza is currently lacking are all things that he’s fully aware of and now he can do something about it. No one will be giving him any limits here, he can do this. I know he can.

“Maester Rodrigue is teaching me a great deal. I can’t complain but I seriously doubt it that he can help me be a better warrior or be better at politics.” Ginoza says and I’m glad to hear that maester Rodrigue is teaching Ginoza what he needs to know but the rest will be a piece of cake if only Ginoza gives himself a chance.

“You don’t need to be a soldier in order to be a good king. Leave the fighting to your men and believe me when I say this. Your men would prefer having you behind a solid wall while they fight so my word of advice to you would be to learn strategy. Your mind will be your strength and I know for a fact that you’re not stupid.” I tell him.

“Jumping off a cliff wasn’t really smart but I get your point.” He replies.

“You’re no longer wearing the style of the Islanders.” I point out catching his attention as we stop walking and he looks at me as I add, “But I see you are still wearing the same colours except for the added black.”

“This is what my house wears. I feel more comfortable being covered up and the fabric is looser and less heavy.” He explains as he quickly feels the fabric of his sleeves.

I should have figured that it was something like that and I must say, the tunic under the sleeveless one closely resembles the white one that he wore when I first met him so I should have known that this current style was something that his house wore and I must agree that it looks really good on him. Actually he does look like he feels to be more confident and more at ease in them too.

“I must admit, you do portray how a king should look.” I state and add, “If I’m not mistaken your house’s colours are green, silver and white so why the added black?”

“It’s the colour of the Islanders. Considering how much they’ve done for me. I thought that it be a good idea to incorporate their colours to mine.” He explains.

“You have no idea how much of an honor you’ve given them by just doing that.” I tell him.

Yeah the black isn’t much but it’s still present with the silver brocade but it’s still there. Never once have I ever heard a member of the royal family wear another house’s colours into their own. What he’s done is truly a huge sign of respect for the Islanders even if it’s just a simple thing as black brocade. It’s a symbolism and I just couldn’t be prouder of him for that.

“Come on, we should go see what poison they have in-store for lunch.” I invite Ginoza to follow and he does.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Sugo**

I despise the capital. Even though I was born and raised here, I never liked living here. I never liked waking up every morning to the smell of this city and quite frankly I don’t miss it at all. Leaving this city behind for the Stone Islands was one of the best thing I ever did.

The Tearling, the grand capital of this country is indeed a beautiful city. To be honest it’s quite magnificent and the royal palace is truly a sight to behold. It’s a dream for so many to be able to come live in the capital city of this country but that’s all what it is really. The capital is nothing more than a web of lies and deceit.

For the common people, life is life. I guess in a sense they have it better than others in this country since common and nobles alike live more comfortably here. But when it comes to people like me, you can’t trust anyone in the capital if you wish to remain in one piece. In the world at court, you quickly learn that the people present there are all liars. And you also learn that there are good liars, bad liars, one or two great liars and if you are to survive in this hell hole. You have to be part of the great liars yourself.

Anyway, the lies and deceits that goes on at court isn’t much of a problem to me right now. After all, it's always the same old things really. It's just nobles that tries to gain leverage over other nobles in order to climb the social ladder.

Those people at court are just flies to me at the moment if I can’t slither my way out of this jam that I found myself into by my own actions. I sure don’t need anyone to tell me that the king isn’t exactly in a good mood about the whole thing. Although, I can't really blame the man either. 

I have the proof of his mood by how I was greeted the moment I set foot inside of the city. It didn’t even take more than five minutes. Actually, I didn’t even have the time to advance ten steps when I was greeted by soldiers of the city watch.

Five soldiers greeted me at the entrance where they escorted me directly to the palace in all haste like it was a matter of life and death. Once I was inside, a servant took over and I followed the man towards the council room only to find that it's not exactly empty.

The king summoned me to answer for the crimes that I’ve been accused of but I wasn’t expecting the other wardens to be present so this changes things a bit. If I don't play my cards right, I'll surely lose my head but if I do play this game correctly I might get some to actually back me up here.

“Your grace. My lords. Teppei Sugo, liege lord of the Stone Islands and warden of the sea-”

“Yes, yes, they all know who I am.” I cut off the servant with little care in my tone as I take a seat next to a brute of a man, the warden of the north and liege lord of Harrenhall, lord Umber.

The servant doesn’t try to speak again as he slightly bows and turns on his heels wasting little time exiting the room, gently closing the door behind him.

“I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you boy.” Lord Buckingham sneered at me as he spoke. Clearly this man has never liked me from day one and quite frankly I don't care. I've never liked the bastard either and seeing him here among the other wardens is enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

“Nice to see you too. So are you the supposed new warden of the west?” I ask him as I casually stretch my legs under the table, never removing my gaze upon the man but clearly showing that I don't give a damn about him in the process.

“No, I’m representing-”

“Then you should be the one to keep his mouth shut.” I quickly cut him off before he can finish speaking and I receive a light chuckle from lord Umber in the process. “I have nothing to say to a pretender such as yourself.” I add and I can just see the ever growing frustration and anger grow in his face with each passing second much to my amusement.

Augustus Buckingham, heir to house Buckingham. The man who will become the lord of Donau once his father Walter Buckingham dies. By all means, this man has absolutely no power other than being an heir and his house is just a vassal of the Richmond. Honestly, this man has absolutely no business here but hey, I might as well get my laughs at his expenses while I'm at it.

“I wouldn’t be wearing such arrogance if I was in your position boy.” Buckingham snarled back.

“Boy is it?” I mockingly voice out.

“Now is not the time to be bickering amongst ourselves.” Lord Gainsborough stammered in his same gentle tone as always. “I’m most certain that the young lord had very good reasons for his actions.” He adds stammering away his words and even though I've gotten used to hearing the old lord speak. He sounds to be stammering more than usual but I guess I can't blame him, at his age I'd probably stammer my words too.

Each time the wardens are summoned to a meeting with the king, I always expect to see a new face. I always expect to receive the sad news but each time, there’s the old man sitting in his usual seat beside the king waiting patiently for all of us to arrive. I still can’t believe that old man Gainsborough is still ticking and that he still hasn’t stepped down as warden of the east. Apparently he plans on remaining both warden of the east and liege lord of the reach until he dies but I can see that his health has definitely declined since the last time I saw him.

Seeing him here today is a little sad, I will admit that. He's sitting with more of a slouch, more than usual but even so he still seems quite aware of everything that goes on around him. Ninety-four years old he is and he's been liege lord of the reach and warden of the east for the last sixty-nine years. This man has seen a lot of things, there isn't anyone in this room who is wiser than this man right here.

“Agreed.” I casually reply just to get a kick out of Buckingham and it worked like a charm.

“Agreed!? Because of you, Emerald Harbor is in ruins!“ Buckingham snapped at me, slamming his fist onto the table making the old man Gainsborough slightly jumps in his seat much to my dismay. What the hell is he trying to do, give the old man a heart attack?

“Oh yes, that. Such a shame really.” I voice out, not bothering to hide my sarcasm as I spoke knowing full well that he’s the one who brought forth the accusations that I have against me at the moment. “But, it’s not my fault that the harbor was already up in flames when I arrived to dock for the night.” I add and technically it is true. When I arrived at Emerald Harbor, the city and its port was already burning.

“I have witnesses who saw the Dread dock in Donau the night before.” Buckingham quickly states and quite frankly his statement really doesn’t mean much. Donau is a port so of course ships are going to dock there at night if they are passing through and quite frankly when you dock a ship, the captain of the ship must sign a right to dock. My name is on the paperwork, it's really a no brainer here.

Anyway, Buckingham is really in no position to lecture me about my actions when he’s the one who should be in hot waters right now and maybe I might slip that information to the king later too in private. This good for nothing rich man who never had to work for anything in his whole thirty years of life. He was the one who failed to spot the prince loitering around his dock all day before he boarded a ship for Emerald Harbor. By all means, if Buckingham had truly done his job, the prince would never have set sailed to the Harbor in the first place. 

“I didn’t know docking ships to ports was a crime lord Buckingham-”

“Enough!” The king suddenly shouts and turns his gaze towards me as he spoke. “Lord Sugo, you are an accomplished lord in your short rule and I admire your devotion. However, you set sailed with the Galleon ship the Dread without authorization of the crown, without my authorization.”

“Young lord, the king’s only son is missing and your actions can be suspicious in such dire times.” Old man Gainsborough quickly stammers after the king.

“Locating the prince is of most importance and his safety is paramount beyond everything else.” Lord Umber adds and everything they’ve all said, I agree completely.

I already knew that I would have to answer as to why I left port with a warship. Actually if I had set sailed with a barque like the one I used to get here. Well, there wouldn’t have been any problems since we’re Islanders after all. It’s the fact that I chose a warship in general. That’s the problem but I can tell that if I play my cards right, I won’t have much of a problem but the only thing is that who can be trusted. Or better yet, who does the king trust?

“If you want to be the best on the sea you need to be on the sea.” I chose to answer and add, “Anyway, it keeps my men occupied. We all know how Islanders can get restless when they have nothing to do.”

“It still does not excuse your actions at the Harbor-”

“The harbor was already up in flames when I got there.” I tell Buckingham, cutting him off again only to further fuel his ever growing frustration.

“You chose to do nothing!” Buckingham barks, slamming his fist on the table again.

I must say at this rate, he sure has perfected the art of slamming tables. Even old man Gainsborough is not very impressed with the man who tries to hold an air of authority which in the end only makes me want to drive him nuts. He truly has no business in this room what so ever. He doesn't belong here, he's no warden.

“Ah, yes and my sixty men would have been able to subdue the rebellion?” I ask sarcastically and I quickly answer before he can say a single word. “No, my men would have been butchered so instead we acquired some cargo. Here’s what we were able to save.”

I pull out the rolled up parchment that I sealed before leaving for the capital and hand it to lord Umber for him to pass it to the king.

“Cargo!?” Buckingham asks, his eyes glued onto me like daggers. “Human lives are worth much more than cargo!” He adds, never lowering his tone and the more he speaks, it feels like it’s just a total act on his part. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he wants me to get in trouble.

“Quit your whining, the rebellion was put to an end.” Lord Umber states as the king breaks the seal of the rolled up parchment and starts reading what’s written, not really knowing exactly how the king will react to whatever is written on it but I'm certain it will be a pow wow.

“Yes, thank the gods that lord Richmond was able to regain control of the west.” Old man Gainsborough stammers out his relief and yeah that is a good thing but to be honest I never did like the man to begin with. Everything that happened could have been prevented but he was careless and I'm starting to think if maybe it could be a west thing.

“And yet he’s not here.” I sarcastically say only to pick on Buckingham’s short fuse and just by the look in his eyes, he’s so going to take it.

“Lord Richmond has things that needs his attention-”

“You think this is funny!?” The king suddenly asks me, cutting Buckingham off in the process. Now the showdown begins but at this point, I’m no longer having any worries. This is now just a grand comedy between men and a fool who seriously needs to shave that damn mustache off immediately. “You made my son write this instead of bringing him directly to me!?” The king adds.

“The prince is safe and in my protection that I assure you, your grace.” I calmly state as I’m eyeing the reaction of each lord carefully.

“Treachery! Never trust an Islander I always say!” Buckingham is the first to bark as he rises up to his feet reaching for his blade on his waist. “I should have your head!” He adds, slightly unsheathing his blade as if trying to intimidate me. In order to do that, he’s going to have to do much more than just half-unsheathing his blade and even if he does, I’d be willing to bet that he’s never fought a single fight in his life but I have.

“Take my head lord Buckingham. Go right ahead but do know, if you kill me there won’t be a soul who’ll be able to get pass the Stone Wall. Not a single ship will enter the bay nor will they be able to return home alive.” I tell him and he remains frozen and all that moves is his eyes in his head as he scans each warden and the king as if waiting for someone to back him up but no one does.

“Could there be a better location for the prince to be right now? As I recall the city of Octavia has never been conquered, the city wall has never been breached.” Lord Umber states as he crosses his arms against his chest as if to invite or maybe dare Buckingham to challenge him or something.

“Lord Sugo might be young but he is a faithful servant of the crown. I’m certain that the young lord has his reasons for not bringing the prince home to the capital.” Old man Gainsborough stammers in his gentle tone and adds, “I must agree with lord Umber. There is no safer place for the prince than the island of Octavia, it is a monstrous sea fortress.”

A monstrous sea fortress is one way to call it. It’s in fact my strongest island and yes I do believe that the prince is safe there until we get things sorted out on the mainland. The reason why I chose not to bring the prince home is for the very fact that if he was abducted once, chances are it will happen again and the next time we might not be able to locate him at all. From what the prince told me, his escape was merely due to luck. He certainly won’t have another chance like that again that’s for sure if he was to be captured again.

“Where did you find my son?” The king calmly asks prompting Buckingham to take back his seat and I can’t help but have some satisfaction within me. That guy sure as hell hates me and seeing him disappointed that he didn't get what he wanted only makes my day.

“Emerald Harbor your grace while it went up in flames.” I answer as I turn my attention towards the king. “I docked to Donau, that I will not deny. I docked there for the voyage to the Iron Wall in order to cut off any passing ships in the hopes of apprehending the ones responsible for the abduction of the prince.” I explain.

“A wise move young lord.” Old man Gainsborough tells me with a slight nod of approval.

“Indeed.” I respond and continue to explain my actions to the king, “As my men were preparing to depart from Donau the next morning for the Iron Wall, I received word that a boy fitting the description of the prince had boarded a merchant ship called the Grace that was heading for Emerald Harbor. I couldn’t take the chance of ignoring it so I headed there immediately but when I arrived, the harbor was already on fire but the rumors had been true.”

“You still acted and sailed out with a war ship without authorisation-”

“You’re right lord Buckingham. I acted on my own accord when news of the prince’s disappearance reached me. I took the fastest ship I had in my fleet. I chose my sixty best killers on the islands and I set sailed without authorization from his grace in order to locate our prince.” I admit without a care in the world knowing full well that I no longer will be reprimanded for my actions. I have both lord Umber and old man Gainsborough on my side. I have nothing to fear so he can piss off, he’s no warden anyhow. “But, I can tell you one thing, if I had waited for orders from the crown. Instead of having a prince under my protection living in my castle, you would all have a dead one instead.” I add as I return my gaze onto the king.

“You have no proof of that-”

“I arrived at the harbor only to find it ablaze. All the docked ships had been set on fire with no possibilities to dock my ship in order to unleash my men for battle. All I had was a single rowing boat so I had to choose who to send, I could only send one to shore.” I sharply cut off Buckingham and turn my gaze onto him and ask, “Do you know what he found lord Buckingham?”

“The prince obviously otherwise you wouldn’t have your hands on him.” He answers with a snarl.

“Correct. My soldier found the prince pinned down onto the ground by several drunken men with one of them lying on top of him, trying to tear his clothes off.” I tell him. “If I had remained on my island, the prince would have been raped who knows how many times over and we all know it would have ended with the prince being murdered.” I add but Buckingham doesn’t say another word.

The room suddenly grew silent at the sudden revelation. Finally Buckingham will be quiet from now on, well hopefully. This is a situation for the wardens and the king which further makes me distrust Richmond for failing to be present here. By all means, the man should be here even if he just settled a failed rebellion. There are no excuses for his absence. 

“Given the circumstances, my lord, your grace, I believe extreme measures are warranted.” Old man Gainsborough states after a long awkward silence.

“My son hasn’t written much… It’s his handwriting but he’s barely written a thing that tells me how he is.” The king says as he rereads what’s written.

“I have no knowledge what he wrote your grace. It wasn’t my place to pry but I was pressed on time and the prince was not well when he wrote that. Apparently Essence of Night Shade does not mix very well with his highness and by each of your expression of shock, you all knew the prince was a mix.” I reply as I carefully observe the expression of each individual in the room.

The king’s face is similar as if someone had slapped him in the face. The fear and worriedness clearly present in his eyes in concern for his son’s well-being knowing full well that Essence of Night Shade is deadly to him. Old man Gainsborough quickly looked up, well as quickly as his old joints allowed him to anyway. He too without a doubt knew and lord Umber, well he has perfected the art of a perfect poker face so I can't tell if this is new to him or not. As for Buckingham well, he should be somewhat surprised but he’s not…

“I’ve been warden of the sea for seven years and master of ships on the council for just as long. I believe such information should have been vital for me to know.” I tell the king.

“Seven good years.” Lord Umber adds his opinion.

“We didn't trust you with such delicate information.” Old man Gainborough states and quite frankly I wanted to cringe at that piece of statement and I'm a warden while Buckingham is nothing so no one told him either and yet he knows unless Richmond told him and if so, sharing vital information from the council meetings is strictly forbidden. 

“Fair enough.” I quickly reply back. “Here is the truth; the enemy are lurking about quite closely. The prince was betrayed. The attack that lead to his abduction was well calculated and planned in advance that could only have been made from within.” I inform them.

“Troubling… Very troubling.” Old man Gainsborough voices out.

Troubling indeed and yet no one is really talking. Old man Gainsborough voices out the obvious and yet he's clearly in thoughts. There's definitely something going through the back of his mind and lord Umber well, he's impossible to read as usual but I'm a little disappointed though. To be honest, I was hoping that the king would have thrown everyone out once he read the parchment. I was hoping to at least talk to him privately before alerting the other wardens but he didn't. He kept everyone in here so does that mean that the king trust every single one of us in this room?

I just can't bring myself to trust Buckingham, I can't come to terms to trust the Richmonds either. I can't trust a single house from the west and that coup against the Richmonds, it wasn't just a coincidence. That coup didn't happened just like that when the prince was there, there's more to this…


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Ginoza**

I can barely keep track of the passing of time on this island. I still can’t believe that another week has passed and I barely saw it go by. Somehow, it feels like not long ago Sugo left for the capital and, now we’re going onto the fourth week and there’s still no news about what is going on over there.

Why couldn’t my father have waited only a week before summoning Sugo to the capital…? I would have felt better and I would have been able to go with Sugo to the capital to meet my father. I would have been able to speak on Sugo's behalf but I barely could stay awake for three days when I first arrived here due to my near accidental intoxication.

I just don’t want Sugo to get in trouble for something that he did because of me. By all means, Sugo did nothing wrong so he shouldn’t be punished. If it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t even be here today. He risked so much for me and what I hate the most is that I can’t repay him back for what he did but I will someday. I don’t know exactly what I can do but I will repay him for his kindness.

On the third week since Sugo’s departure. The city has started to become much livelier with the arrival of Sugo’s bannermen. So far only five out of fourteen of his bannermen have arrived, two in the beginning of the week and three more at the end. Kane says that they arrived quite quickly considering how short notice the summon was and the rest should arrive soon. But to me, it feels like they are taking their sweet time.

“You’re not tired of following me around, my lady?” I ask as I look over my shoulder to gaze behind me to meet Risa’s eyes staring back at me.

Ever since I was brought here, this girl follows me around like a little puppy. It doesn’t matter where I go or what I do, every time I look over my shoulder there she is.

I didn’t say anything at first. I mean, I figured after a while she would just get bored and move onto something else but she’s not letting up at all. It’s all so weird. The only time I ever saw handmaidens follow nobles around are noble ladies at court but that's normal since they are ladies. Noble lords are never followed by a handmaiden, maybe a squire but even then.

“I’m no lady, your grace.” She answers. “I’m a handmaiden. My job is to serve you whenever you need me to.” She adds.

Every time I ask her about why she follows me around or any of the sort, that’s always what she tells me. That she’s simply doing her job and in order to do that she needs to be near me at all times and I guess I can’t really argue with that but still, it’s rather excessive. But… Even if she follows around, at the end of the day Risa is a good person to talk to. Her outlook of the world is interesting to me and since meeting her, she's become a rather good friend.

“Handmaidens serve on noble ladies, not lords or princes, my lady.” I state.

“Yes. Maybe on the mainland they do but not here, your grace.” She quickly responds.

“Is it the lack of noble ladies?” I ask a little playfully.

“Perhaps.” She answers back with a soft smile.

“I’m fine, really. You don’t have to follow me around if you don’t want to.” I tell her as I stop walking and she does the same.

“I’m bound to serve you for as long as you are a guest here, your grace.” She quickly responds like I knew that she would.

“Well if you’re going to follow me around, you might as well walk with me, my lady.” I say as I offer my arm for her to take and she does with a bit of hesitation.

Being a handmaiden she's not suppose to look me in the eyes. She should always follow behind since she has no right to walk by the side of someone who is socially higher than she is. But to be honest, I find that social rule to be utterly ridiculous. I intend to break that wheel, I intend to change things.

“Are all the high noble young lords on the mainland like you, your grace?” She asks as we start walking again towards the city gate.

“I seem to be the defect I’m afraid.” I reply back.

“Maybe that’s why my father likes you so much.” She voices out and I can’t help but give her a puzzled expression as she adds, “He’s your personal guard with half a face.”

Okay now I feel like a total idiot for that one but Dormer never did tell me what his daughter’s name was or how she looked like. It never even occurred to me to ask Risa anything about her personal life. I just didn’t want to pry or make her feel uncomfortable in any way and to be honest, Risa doesn't resemble Dormer at all.

“He told me he had a daughter but he failed to say that she was beautiful.” I say back as I catch her eye.

Risa is really beautiful and she’s nothing like all the other girls I’ve seen before. First of all she’s really tall for a girl with a slim and yet curvaceous figure. She wears her brown hair rather short which is quite unheard of in court. All the noble ladies I’ve seen all had long hair in elegant hairstyles and none of them ever reached higher than my shoulders so whenever I had to talk to them, I always had to look down.

It’s obvious that Dormer didn’t raise Risa to be this perfect little lady. If I know him like I think that I do, he probably raised her to be quite the fighter. I think he’d be the kind to teach his daughter to defend herself if need be and I don’t think he’d be interested in having her placed in the life at court so he must have arranged something with Sugo to have his daughter be a handmaiden here on the island of Octavia instead which isn't bad. I mean other than doing daily work, Risa still lives life in comfort and she lives in a stable home so it's a rather good deal.

“Aren’t you the charmer your grace-”

A sudden scream catches our attention towards the docks. A part of me is saying that I should head back inside of the city but another part wants to know what exactly is going on as I approach the dock when I see a familiar face.

“Murray, what happened?” I quickly ask as I try to see what’s happening further away but I can’t all thanks to the crowd.

“Stay here your grace. You may not want to see this.” Murray answers before turning away from me and I quickly grab his arm to stop him.

“What is it?” I ask again catching his eye.

“Looks like a girl got raped by merchants, your grace. We’ll deal with it, no need to trouble yourself.” He quickly responds.

“I want them to be brought to me. I want to see those men and the girl.” I tell him.

“As you wish, your grace.” Murray replies before giving me a light bow and dashed through the crowd.

My tone sounded so firm as I told Murray my order and yet I feel my insides shaking as I wait for him to come back with the criminals and the girl. 

I know that I shouldn’t have come to the dock when I heard the scream. I should have fled back to the castle with Risa for her own safety and also for my own and yet here I am trying to hide the anxiety that has invaded my body and I'm not exactly certain if I'm pulling this strong facade or not.

A light touch on my shoulder pulls me out of my thoughts as I quickly look over my shoulder to meet Risa’s gaze when a ruckus drags my attention away from her brown eyes back towards the docks as a few Islander soldiers bring forth a dozen men and Murray carries a little girl in his arms who is in tears, her clothes tattered and bloodied.

“These are the men guilty of rape and they will all die for it.” Murray tells me as he puts the little girl down on her feet, still crying.

“No.” I answer back.

“Your grace?” Murray voices out in confusion.

“Is it all of them?” I ask as Risa gently pulls the little girl closer towards her as she tries to calm the crying child.

“Yes your grace.” Murray confirms.

These men, they’re complete filths. None of them seem to have any sort of remorse for what they’ve done to this innocent little girl. Yeah it’s quite obvious that she’s a peasant child but still, it doesn’t excuse them for doing such an act.

“This girl, she’s only just a child. Can’t be more than ten, her maidenhead stolen, her life destroyed. No man will want to marry her for this so why should these men receive a quick punishment called death?” I state as I carefully observe the dozen men that have been brought forward to me when three of them catches my eyes and I feel a sudden rage grow in me.

Those three, they dare wear a grin on their face. They dare show their satisfaction of what they did in my presence like it’s some big joke and suddenly I recall something that Kougami had told me a week ago…

Kill the boy he told me. Kill the boy so the man can be born. That I should act like a king he kept telling me and right now, I have to be decisive or I'll lose the Islanders' respect. If I choose to do nothing, the Islanders might view me as weak. If I simply throw them in jail for their crimes, it might simply anger the people here but can I execute them for this? No, I don’t think I can but there is something that I can do and they will be punished for this.

“An evil deed deserves an evil punishment.” I tell Murray as he gives me another puzzled look.

“Your grace?” He asks in confusion.

I look down at Risa who’s on her knees comforting the little girl who’s been through hell only a few minutes ago. I may not have been raped but I do know the fear that creeps into you as you try to fight off your attacker and yet there’s nothing you can do. I know the fear when one is lying on top of you as he prepares to do his deed while you lie there powerless. I can only understand how this child is feeling right now and I don't want anyone else to ever have to feel this fear again.

“They destroyed a young girl’s life then I’ll destroy theirs.” I say as I look up to gaze at the dozen filthy men who have now grown quiet except for the three men who are still taunting me.

My gaze fall onto the large man with a dark messy beard, he’s such a disgusting large man. My eyes glued onto his as a satisfaction fills me as I give out my order. “Cut off their manhood so they can be reminded everyday about what they did and then have them thrown into a black cell.”

The Islander soldiers start dragging away the men as they start pleading for me to change my verdict but I have absolutely no intention of doing so. I quickly gaze down to meet Risa’s eyes as she stands up, lifting the little girl in her arms. She doesn’t have to say anything, her eyes says it all. In her eyes, she approves of my decision and quite honestly, that’s all that I need.

“Why not kill them now your grace and be done with it?” Murray asks.

“Did you not swear to serve me sir?” I ask as I turn my gaze onto him.

“Yes I did, your grace.” He answers slowly as if fearing if my question was somehow a tricked one.

“And are you not a lord at my command?” I further ask.

“I owe my title and lands to your generosity, your grace.” He replies.

“Then do your job. They committed a crime and thus they shall be punished accordingly for it as I see fit.” I tell him and add, “As for their fate, whether they live or die will be up to your liege lord. This is his island after all and thus he should be the one to decide who lives and who dies here.”

“Yes your grace.” Murray says, giving me a small bow before walking away towards the soldiers who are taking the men away.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 18.5**

**Kougami**

Never in my life have I ever been left with such a bad taste in my mouth. It’s truly despicable. I still can’t believe what I heard back there and as I keep walking down the dark hallway, I’m trying to find a plausible explanation as to what truly happened for such a thing to even occur but I can’t.

I’ve been on this island for almost a month now and I’m starting to understand exactly the mentality and behavior of these people and one thing that I’ve learned is that they are not liars. They don’t make up stories to cover up their actions. They are straight forward and honest through and through so I know what I’ve been told is true but I still can’t believe it.

I climb up the stone steps as quickly as my legs can allow me and I swing open the door into the living quarters of the tower of joy to find Ginoza sitting in a chair facing his handmaiden and right next to them is a little girl who’s just watching them do whatever it is that they were doing before I suddenly arrived causing them to stop.

“Kougami. Just in time, we’re playing a game-”

“Tell me it isn’t true!” I cut him off a bit harshly, maybe a bit too much but I’m having a hard time to control myself right now.

“What?” He innocently asks me back like nothing is wrong.

“You gave the order to have a dozen men castrated outside of the city this morning and then threw them in a black cell!” I tell him but his expression doesn’t change. He’s not fazed by what I just said, he’s not somehow surprised that I know either and if he is; well he hides it really well.

“I did.” He admits calmly and I just can’t believe that he really did do such a thing to begin with. However, learning it from his own mouth isn’t what bothers me though. What gets to me more is that he admits it like it’s nothing. As if what he ordered only a few hours ago meant nothing at all to him. And knowing that, I’m starting to fear that maybe he might have mental traits similar to his paternal grandfather.

“Are you out of your mind!? I told you to act like a king, to make your own decisions but this is beyond cruel!” I snapped back.

“They raped this little girl. She’s just eight years old. They destroyed her life and you know as much as I do that no man will ever want to marry her once she comes of age.” Ginoza calmly explains to me as he places his hands on the little girl’s shoulders, pulling her closer towards him and continues. “Yes, I made a decision at the docks but I did what I thought was right. I gave them a just punishment, a punishment equaling to what they did to this little girl. By all means, they destroyed her life so I destroyed theirs.”

What do I say to that? How do I respond to something like that?

An eye for an eye… I can’t argue against that saying, it’s only fair. It’s what you call an equivalent exchange but what Ginoza did was still brutal and yet I can understand why he was more than willing to punish those men the way that he did. I mean what they did to a child who is even younger than Ginoza is himself, it certainly was an evil deed but he shouldn’t have sullied his hands like that.

What happened to those men today, their punishment for the crimes that they’ve committed all fall onto Ginoza and that alone can come back to haunt him much later. He should have allowed someone else to deal with the incident. He didn’t have to dirty his hands like that and yet I can understand why he did since Ginoza was almost a victim himself. His decision this morning, whether he wants to admit it or not, it was personal in a way…

“It was a bit extreme. Please, next time talk to me before doing something so rash-”

“Three of them were part of the group that attacked me in the king’s wood.” Ginoza calmly interrupts what I was saying before removing his gaze from me and stares down to his hands.

“What?” I blurt out, not really expecting an answer in return. The word just came out without thinking.

Of course Ginoza could recognize his attackers if he were to see them again. I never had any doubt about that but I never thought that he would see them here of all places. From what Murray told me earlier, those men were merchants who were simply delivering goods to the island and they decided to have fun with a local girl and it landed them into a black cell.

Murray didn’t mention anything about three men who were guilty of kidnapping the prince and I have to wonder if Ginoza even told him about it to begin with. If Murray knew about those men, he failed to alert me to this. Hell, this is something that I should have been notified about immediately.

“I need to speak with the prince privately.” I say as I look at Ginoza’s handmaiden and without a word, she gets up and invites the younger one to follow her out of the room leaving me alone with Ginoza.

There’s no way that those men who abducted Ginoza knew where he was. It’s just impossible that they knew he was here on the island of Octavia so their appearance here was simply by chance but to be honest I don’t like it. I don’t like this at all, especially since the commander is not here to deal with this situation.

Anyway, by their appearance from what I saw that night, I knew that those men did not have any forms of social importance. They were too filthy to be high in the social world so my guesses are that they must be some of the lowest merchants. Anyway, that’s not exactly what worries me. If Ginoza only recognized three, that can only mean that there’s one that’s still missing.

The noble looking man that I saw that night on the beach shore as he gave out his orders to the men. The one that I’m sure who is pulling the strings in the shadow and is orchestrating this upcoming war. He’s still out there but with his three subordinates captured I can’t help but wonder if that’s going to be a problem…

“I punished those men for the crime they committed here. One that I saw fitting for their evil deed and then I ordered to have them thrown into a black cell to further await their punishment for their crimes against the crown by lord Sugo.” Ginoza is the first to break the silence, his tone firm and decisive. Clearly he doesn't hold any regret for what he decided to do which is good but I wish that he hadn't done such a thing.

“They’ll probably be put on trial for their crimes and be given the chance to confess to save themselves.” I voice out.

“The islanders wanted all of them dead for what they did to that little girl but I knew they were more valuable alive then dead so I had to exact a punishment to ease the people.” Ginoza explains and to be honest I should have taken that into consideration. The commander did tell me that sleeping with an individual out of wedlock is against the law on this island so I can only imagine what rape must be here so Ginoza needed to make a decision and it had to be one that the Islanders would be willing to go with otherwise he could have been seen as weak. “Maybe Sugo will be able to extract information from them. Dead men tell no tales after all…” Ginoza adds.

“I understand. My apologies-”

“Please don’t. You have every right to be angry at me for what I did. The words just came out; I still can’t believe that I gave that order myself.” He quickly cuts me off and quite frankly that makes two of us. I still can't believe that he did order such a thing but he did and in a way, it was the right decision to go with.

“Who was the girl?” I ask as I try to change the subject.

What’s done is done and I can understand now why he did what he did. His actions were justified even if I don’t like them. Ginoza was simply faced with a situation where he needed to make a decision. The thing is that by all means, Ginoza should be proud of himself right now. He gave out an order and none dared to question it. His men did it without any hesitation. Today, Ginoza was a king.

“That was lady Risa Aoyanagi, she’s sir Dormer Aoyanagi’s daughter.” He answers and I must say that’s new. I had no idea that giant of a man had a daughter and further more, I had no idea that a lady could be a handmaiden.

“I didn’t know the giant was a knight.” I state.

“He wasn’t but I felt that he should be. After all, his family are vassals of my father’s and if someone should be a knight, it’s Dormer. I trust him with my life.” He tells me and of course he did. I’ve heard that he raised Murray’s title as well and made him a lord of the island of Bellamy. I’m not exactly sure how the commander will react to this once he comes back since there are still some islands who lack lords there. I just hope that the commander won't be somewhat upset that Ginoza made one of his soldiers a lord of one of his islands without permission.

The Islanders have only been back for the last seven years. The commander hasn’t been in control for that long so it’s only normal that some islands are still lacking a high lord to rule them and manage the island in specifics and because of that, it reduces the Islanders' strength. Whether the commander wants to admit it or not, his army is completely disorganized. He’s not in full strength. Even if all his bannermen come to Octavia, there are still some islands that won’t be coming because they have no one to lead them.

“I followed your advice and my council is slowly growing.” Ginoza tells me.

“And may I know who those people are exactly?” I ask as I try to hide my discontent that he didn’t tell me this until now. Ginoza is starting to make decisions on his own and that's great. He's gaining confidence to make decisions on his own but he doesn’t talk to me about them and that leaves me to wonder if he confides to anyone else and if so, I should know about it. Ginoza is just so naive and things like that can get him killed and what frustrates me is that he doesn't see that.

“You for starters.” He answers without noticing my discontent and it only further grows when he says that I’m part of his council and yet he doesn’t talk to me before making any decisions concerning his welfare. “Then there is Kane, Dormer, Murray, maester Rodrigue and Risa.” He adds and as he said each name, I kind of figured it would be them except for one and I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief.

“Ginoza, Risa is a woman.” I point out the rather obvious.

“And?” He responds and adds, “Kougami how can I be king and rule over millions of people if all I do is listen to only half? Women have a voice too, it’s time they be heard.”

He’s right there but he can’t forget that this is a world of men. High lords don’t care what women want, they don’t care if they are not happy or what they desire. Women to human men are simply properties to own. It’s not correct, it is not right but that’s how the world is.

If Ginoza tries to gain more power for women on a social standing then he might find himself as the youngest ruling king because he’ll be assassinating within his first year of his reign and that’s only if he’s lucky that is. At this rate, he'll be murdered within the first month.

“Members of your council should be people that you know. They should be people that you can trust.” I tell him.

“Risa is my handmaiden since I arrived here. We’ve been friends ever since. I just failed to realize that she was Dormer’s daughter sooner but I trust her.” Ginoza answers back.

I don’t doubt his handmaiden’s loyalty to him. If she really is that giant’s daughter, then I have faith that she knows her place in this world. But, Ginoza needs to be more careful with whom he trusts especially since the enemy was found right at our doorsteps only a few hours ago.

“I’m working to learn the people on this island so it’s important that you tell me what you are doing for your safety.” I tell him as I step closer towards Ginoza.

“I know and I’m sorry.” He says in a low tone as I sit down in the chair facing him, dragging it slightly closer towards him as I cup his face in my hands in order to meet his emerald eyes.

“I would kill for you. Do you know that?” I tell him as I try to control my own emotions as I continue, “I expect I’ll have to before this is over.”

For Ginoza, I would kill for him. I've never killed a human before but I would if it meant protecting him. I'm being completely open and honest to him right now. And yet, he doesn't say anything and instead he simply looks at me with a blank stare and I just can't read him at all. What he's thinking, what is going through his head at this moment, I just don't know. Is he moved by what I just said or is he still processing it all in his mind? I don’t know but I feel like slowly he’s starting to slip away from my fingers. Bit by bit there’s a gap that’s forming between us and he’s drifting further away from me.

“You need to be more careful.” I tell him and add, “Promise me.”

“I promise.” He tells me with a slight nod after a few minutes of silence and even though I should be happy about his response, I can’t be. There’s something that he’s not telling me and it's making me uneasy as I see the new moon approaching. And soon, I'll have to leave his side for a few days and honestly, it worries me.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Sugo**

If I have to listen to Buckingham’s voice for one more minute I swear to god that I will choke the life out of him. I seriously cannot stand to listen to any more of his annoying complaints and useless suggestions. By all means, the guy shouldn’t even be here to begin with. And yet, the king allows this jackass into the meeting of Wardens and I just don’t get that.

To be honest, if I had every right to smack the king in the head to straighten his brain out, I would. Buckingham has no business in this meeting. Yeah, I understand that Richmond has great trusts in Buckingham and he can't be here due to what happened at Emerald Harbor. But seriously, the man isn’t even the lord of Donau…

“You did well today.”

The sudden voice takes me out of my thoughts but I don’t have to look in order to see to whom it belongs to. That booming voice that commands attention can only belong to one man and that would be lord Umber and I’m quickly proven to be right as the giant brute of a man stands next to me.

Lord Umber is one of the few people in this kingdom who can actually compete in size with the Aoyanagis. But the strange thing is that lord Umber is the only giant in his whole family. His sons are tall but not as tall as their father. The man himself stands taller than Dormer and the man is a giant. Lord Umber stands at six feet and ten inches and apparently weights at around the two hundred pounds, if not heavier.

“Lord Umber.” I acknowledge his presence in order to show respect to the older lord.

“Jon, my name is Jon.” He tells me and continues, “No need for formalities. We’re both high lords charged with protecting this country at the best of our abilities.”

“Yes and now, everything has gone to madness. Madness and stupidity.” I reply back and that’s basically what it is really.

Everything that’s currently happening, the problems that we’re all facing and how each high lords are proceeding in solving their problems is just total madness. Lord Umber for one doesn’t seem too worried.

“Aye, but that’s how it’s always been. It doesn’t matter which country you look into. There’s always a showdown between houses in order to gain more power.” He tells me and yeah I kind of figured that already. I know that it’s the same shit elsewhere. But still, everything that we’re currently facing is no small matter. And yet, lord Umber and lord Gainsborough are acting as if it’s no big deal but maybe it’s simply their experience talking here. “We’re all just spokes on a wheel. This one's on top then that one's on top and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground.” He explains and to be honest I never thought about it that way before and now that he says it like that, yeah it pretty much makes sense.

We’re all spokes on a wheel and someone always wants something. Some remain quiet about what they want and never act to get it while others will do the jump of fate, crossing their fingers that they win. The thing is that when you play this political game, you either win or you die. There is no middle ground in this game.

It’s like me in a way. I became a commander in the navy and decided to tempt my own fate when I took a gamble on the Islanders but I didn’t undermine a ruling house to get what I have. It was simply a vacant seat that no one wanted so I went for it. I earned this title by my own efforts and devotions but there are some just like the vassals that betrayed Richmond. They tempted their fate onto their liege lord, they tried to over throw him and gain his power and influence but they failed and in return they were given a short drop and a sudden stop.

“The political game… Never expected to have any real power. Becoming a liege lord and a warden was the last thing I ever expected.” I admit.

I will always remember the day when I announced my intentions to my navy comrades. They all laughed at me for even thinking about it. They all called me a fool for even considering something so idiotic but I chose to ignore their opinions. And when I came back to the capital with the heavy black cloak over my shoulders that only the Islander liege lords wore in the past, all was quiet. All those who had dared laugh at me stood there quiet. I had proved them wrong. I had played the political game and had won but I acknowledge that not everyone who plays are victorious.

“The last warden of the sea and Islander liege lord, he disdained the game and those who played. You enjoy the game.” Lord Umber voices out as we walk away toward a small sitting area in a secluded area on the castle balcony.

“I do.” I admit as I sit down and lord Umber does the same.

“And you play it well.” He says and coming from him, I must be doing something right. If there is one person who knows how to play this game it’s lord Umber. But the Umbers haven’t been too involve in the squabbles of other houses in the past. They’ve always minded their own business. They always chose to stayout of conflicts and simply did their own things in peace. And maybe they were on to something. They continued to grow while others crumbled...

“I’d like to keep playing.” I state.

It might be a bit selfish on my part but after becoming a liege lord and having this position for the last seven years, I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to go back to having simply a low merchant sailor life. I actually enjoy having the power that I currently have but I don’t want more. I’m content with what I have but I don’t want to lose it…

“Then be careful with how you choose to act. Any man with a good head on his shoulders knows when to stay clear from the game and when to play. Be content with what you have in your social standings. Be loyal to one and only one and you’ll never see the end of your house.” Lord Umber tells me and again I have to agree and I feel like he’s simply telling me his family’s way and how it’s always been. And quite frankly, I couldn't agree more with that mentality.

The Umbers have always been loyal to the crown. They’ve always been close friends with the Masaokas. Even before the start of the unification of the kingdom. The Umbers have always been there and they’ve always been content with what they had. And in turn, little by little their liege lord began to give them more and more until they became so big that they established their own region in the north and built the amazing Harrenhall fortress. And ever since that day, the Umbers have been the warden of the north in the name of the king.

They never asked for anything and always gave their loyalty to the crown and no other. Now, they are one of the most powerful houses in this country. It only serves to prove that loyalty will get you far if you are willing to be patient.

“You know, the prince wanted to flee to you. Asked me to take him to Harrenhall-”

“He’s safer with you. The mainland will be at war soon, everywhere you’ll look there will be a battle.” He calmly cuts me off and that’s true. 

It’s hard to believe that this country who's been at peace for the last fifty years will soon break out in wars in all regions. The only thing that we don’t know is where and who will make the first strike. What we do know is that the ones who will dare to do something will be some of our own vassals. Considering what has happened, it doesn’t take a fool to figure out that someone has bought the loyalty of some.

“I know but from the moment the prince escaped his captors, all he wanted was to reach Harrenhall. But he couldn’t, so he opted for lord Richmond’s help instead and he nearly got himself killed.” I further tell him as I still recall how the prince kept on saying Harrenhall over and over again like it was the only thing he knew what to say.

To be honest, it annoyed me to no end but my annoyance wasn’t really what it was. I guess I was rather jealous that the prince would rather be in the protections of the Umbers and to stay within those legendary walls instead of my protection. I get why, I mean Harrenhall is quite the fortress but so is Octavia. And the Islanders are great warriors and yet the prince had little confidence in my men.

I don’t care that the prince didn’t have faith in me because I can always change that myself in time. I only have to prove myself and that will be it but it’s the fact that the prince has so little confidence and faith in my people in order to trust his life to them. That’s what really bothers me and I hope once I return to Octavia that I’ll see something new.

“He’s alive right now because you took charge. Now he’s in good hands, I’ll be putting my trust in you to keep my prince alive and safe Teppei.” Lord Umber tells me and as much as it honors me that he has some trusts and faith in my skills, it does put quite the weight on my shoulders here though. If I should fail, the whole country could rise up against me and that, I’m not looking forward to.

“If the prince could have his way, he’d be in Harrenhall in a heartbeat, not in Octavia.” I say.

“He’s much better off in Octavia. Make sure he remains there.” Lord Umber tells me. 

Yeah, well that at least is an easy task. The prince can’t leave without a ship. Unless Kougami decides to give me shit that is. If that happens, then that changes things a bit but he doesn’t seem like the idiotic type. He knows what’s at stake if the prince should leave the safety of Octavia. I don't think that he's willing to gamble with the prince's life for his own gain. 

“The problem lies with our vassals and we need to find out who are the rotten apples but you will have it easy. The Islanders are many things but they stick together like glue. You won’t be finding traitors in your men to stab you in the back.” He adds and for my sake and the prince’s I hope that lord Umber is right.

I can’t argue that the Islanders are loyal to one another but I’m not exactly sure the same can be said for me. Yeah so far they view me as their liege lord and all is good but things can always change. The fact still remains that I’m no true born Islander so I always have to prove myself to them.

“I called forth my bannermen before I left the island. They will all be in Octavia by the time I get back.” I state and hopefully they will be. After all, it was the first time in seven years that I called forth the bannermen for war. And not to mention, I still haven’t named a lord for each of the islands yet and that alone can be a problem.

The thing is that it’s quite a sensitive topic to approach. Naming certain individuals with nothing special and raising them to the high status of lord is not an easy task. No matter how I look at it, whoever I will name to become a lord, it will cause jealousy among my people and I can’t blame them. Whoever I will chose, it will be seen as favoritism and that in the end can cause unwanted frictions.

“Good. Things will get ugly pretty fast on the mainland so it’s best you be ready.” Lord Umber tells me and that’s the harsh reality that we’re also facing.

When this war will start, many innocent people will die because of it. The common people will try to hide from the raging battles and a few will manage to protect themselves but many will perish. Those who will survive will look on powerlessly as the lords continue to wage war in this game.

The only region that I’m not worried about is the north. No one will dare try to invade it even if the northern men march out for war. The thing that protects them is the terrain and the vast snow. For anyone who is not used to snow, it would be suicide to try and invade the northern lands.

The north men will be marching south leaving enough men to defend each northern strongholds while the others will be at war. The army will then divide itself to join forces with the other lords but it will be a tricky move since at this point we’re all moving blindly. We can’t afford to forget that at any given moment, a mutiny may occur and if it does we will have to act fast to kill it immediately before any damage can be done.

I keep on saying when war will break out, I won’t be doing much into this conflict. I’ll be staying behind my high walls surrounded by the vast sea while everyone else is fighting on the mainland. But deep down, something tells me that it’s not going to be that easy on my side. But one thing is for sure, we can't afford to lose the reach. The reach provides more than half of the food in this country. We need them if we want to win so a large northern host will be marching to the reach to further fortify the defenses there…

“Considering how we can hardly trust anyone, is it wise for the king to remain at the capital?” I ask as I recall how the king rejected old man Gainsborough’s suggestions to flee the capital now while he still has the chance on multiple occasions.

To be honest, it would be wise for the king to leave the capital and give out orders from another location. After all, he’s the king and we need him more alive than dead. He’ll be no use to us or the country if he were to die in the middle of the conflict and the prince is simply too young to rule. He still hasn’t reached his sixteenth name day. It’s drawing closer, he’ll soon be turning sixteen but he’s still far too young to rule. He’s just not ready.

“The king can’t and will not flee from war. He will stand and fight until he draws his last breath. But before things escalate, he insists on seeing his son.” Lord Umber tells me and that alone I can understand. I kind of figured that I’ll be carrying his royal grace on my ship when I return to Octavia and that at least should make the prince happy. He must be longing to see his father again after everything that’s happened.

“Fair enough.” I briefly reply.

“I’m giving you my youngest son as a ward and as a sign of good faith between our two houses. I would offer you more but I will need my eldest sons for battle if I should fall.” Lord Umber tells me suddenly after a bit of silence and I just want to cringe at the word ward. I absolutely despise the word and its meaning. “You have lord Gainsborough’s support completely as well. He sends his eldest granddaughter as a ward and as a sign of good faith also.” He adds and again I just want to cringe at it.

Yeah I’m content to know that I have at least the loyalty of two high lords but sending wards from their own household is just a bit too much for my taste. I just don’t like the idea at all.

“Wards or do you mean hostages?” I ask and quickly add, “If you’re my ally, don’t insult me by offering me hostages-”

“I and lord Gainsborough mean no disrespect. It simply serves as a symbolism of good faith between houses and it helps to strengthen the bonds between allies.” He gently cuts me off. If he wants to look at it that way then I guess it’s not so bad but still, to my eyes, wards will always look like hostages to me.

“I have none to offer in return.” I state and I wouldn’t give out a ward to another house even if they asked me to. I always promised myself that I would never do such a thing to any of my people. I would never send any away to another house to further my causes.

“We ask none.” Lord Umber tells me and continues, “I might be giving you my youngest son as a ward but he is my son none the less and I love him. Lord Gainsborough loves his granddaughters more than anything in the world. They are the only thing he has left you know.”

“His sons died years ago, his only daughter died last winter. All he has left now are his granddaughters from his daughter. The end of his name came at the death of his last son ten years ago and now he gives me his eldest granddaughter and heir as a ward…?” I say as a few things starts flowing through my mind.

“Aye, once he dies, so does the name Gainsborough. The male gene was never very strong in his line but it is important to show good signs of faith between allies.” Lord Umber states and continues, “The reach will also send supplies to help support the Stone Islands until this war is over and having his heir as your ward will encourage his vassals to remain loyal and the same can be said for mine.”

Yeah that makes sense but it also serves as a security for them if their house should fall in battle during this war. They might die but the death of their names won’t happen since their last living relatives will be elsewhere so it’s a wise strategic move on their part and getting some provisions from the reach won’t be too bad either. I can’t complain but this will be a period of war which means that things will be done differently from now on in Octavia.

“I’m not allowing any ship through the Stone Wall. My port will be closed off until I say otherwise.” I say. I can’t allow anything to cross through my first line of defense so until further notice, nothing will be getting in.

“Good. I’m sure your men and the men of the reach know how to transfer goods from one ship to the next on open waters.” Lord Umber states and that’s true. The Islanders know how to transfer goods from one ship to the other without problems so they’ll be good. That’s a good deal to go by.

“Lord Gainsborough is sending his eldest granddaughter to me and if I’m not mistaken she recently turned fifteen. Sounds like he might be plotting to have her get close to the prince. Sounds to me that he hopes that she might please the prince for potential marriage.” I say as I catch lord Umber’s gaze and he lets out a small laugh. I wasn’t the only one to catch on to this and I think it actually amuses lord Umber quite a bit.

“Can’t blame the man. It’s every father’s, in this case grandfather’s dream to see their girl become queen one day.” He tells me and again that’s true. I’ve often seen fathers try to woo young princes into marrying their noble daughters and sometimes they are successful and other times they’re not so this should be interesting to see but I don’t think that the prince will be easily seduced considering he was able to resist a naked woman who was more than willing to pleasure him.

“You have a daughter, not up for the competition Jon?” I ask and he lets out another laugh.

“My daughter would never be a good queen; she’s much too wild for that and quite old for the prince. In my opinion, women should always be younger than their husbands. They grow older in character much faster than us men.” He tells me and I must say at least he’s honest about it. “But-”

“The infamous but. Got a grand scheme in mind?” I cut him off as I sense some planning thoughts that are about to emerge from the depth of his mind and now I wonder if I should run for the hills. By the look in his face, it sounds grand and maybe a little mischievous. Well, coming from lord Umber it’s probably something of the sort.

“My daughter, she’s a rare beauty who recently turned twenty with a sharp mind.” He tells me and I slowly nod as I cross my arms against my chest as I continue listening. “I saw you grow from a boy of the sea into a navy soldier. I watched you rise and became the youngest navy commander in history and then you rose even higher than I could ever imagine. You became liege lord of the Stone Islands in your own right. You gained their love, their loyalty and their freedom. You’ve grown into a fine, good man and I’m proud of you as if you were my own son.”

I can’t help but stir a bit in my chair as I continue to slowly nod as I carefully listen to the experienced lord talk and as he continues I’m starting to feel myself sinking deeper. How the hell did I get myself into this? Oh crap, I’m getting too old for this…

“I was aiming for commander in the navy, never imagined I’d be in this position either.” I choose to say as I ignore where lord Umber is going with this.

I have met his only daughter a few times in the past and yeah he’s right that she is indeed a rare beauty. Actually some would say that she’s the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. And yeah, she does have a sharp mind and she’s cunning. I’ve seen her work her way around court and she can always wrap the courtiers around her finger like it’s nothing.

“You’ve done well for yourself into climbing the ladder. To top your success, you have a good heart. That’s why there would be no other man alive that I would like to see marry my daughter.” He tells me and there it is out in the open.

I look up to meet lord Umber’s eyes. He’s dead serious and he’s eagerly and patiently waiting for an answer and exactly what do you say to that? Politically I’m expected to form alliances with other houses and basically I am expected to marry at some point to secure my line. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so soon.

“You honor me but we both know that I’m not worthy of your daughter.” I choose to say and quite frankly that’s true. Lord Umber could marry his daughter to someone who holds much more power than I do. Yeah I have a strong naval army but that’s about it. The Islanders are not particularly rich, well not at the moment anyhow.

“Nonsense! Who better to wed my only daughter than you?” He quickly states and adds, “I gain nothing by giving away my daughter’s hand in marriage, that's true. But, I want her to have a gentle husband and I want her to be wed before my time is done.”

I’m honored that lord Umber of all people views me in such high regards. That means a lot coming from a man like him and from what I’ve heard, he has refused many marriage proposals for his daughter. Apparently he never gave any particular reason as to why he declined the offers. And now, he offers me his only daughter for marriage. To me of all people. That’s a lot but am I ready for this?

“Your forces dominate the sea, mine on land. We both possess strong armies and we fiercely support the crown by any means necessary. Allow us to join our houses and strike fear in the hearts of our enemies, become my son by law.” He tells me as he gets up on his feet and extends his right hand for me to take.

“I would gladly wed your daughter.” I answer as I extend mine and he pulls me up to my feet and gives me a strong pat on the shoulder.

As liege lord and warden of the sea, I have to make some sacrifices. I have to uphold my position and it is expected of me to marry and I guess I will never receive a better offer than this. I sure would be a fool to decline lord Umber. After all, it’s like what he said. We both have two strong armies, I dominate the sea and he dominates the land. Together, we’ll be a fearsome combination and it might just be enough to get the vassals back into their place if they see a strong alliance between the Islanders and the Umbers. 

For the first time in history, the Islanders will join hands with mainlanders. Somehow it just seems fitting that the strongest at sea and the strongest on land should join.

“In that case, my daughter too will be sent as a ward along with my son. We never know how war turns out. If my house should fall, I want to die knowing that she’s safe.” He tells me and I’m perfectly fine with that. But with the war and all, I don’t know exactly how a wedding will be able to take place. By the way that lord Umber is talking, he doesn’t seem to plan on being there for the wedding. But then again, Islanders are not known to host grand weddings either. Even though their laws about sexual intercourse out of wedlock is a huge thing. They don't hold the union of two individuals as a huge deal of which I find rather odd.

“No harm will come to her. I swear it, you have my word.” I assure him and I plan on keeping my word. No harm will ever come to her as long as I breath.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Ginoza**

A wild fire and a thousand endless screams that keep echoing all around me; and the faces of the dead is all that keeps haunting me at night. It doesn’t matter what I do, they always keep on coming and I don’t know why they just won’t leave me alone.

I thought that all of those bad dreams were caused by the added stress that I was experiencing. But after a week on this island, they still persisted without an end in sight. 

The dreams were just as vivid, just as terrible as the first ones and at first I thought that maybe they would come to pass but they haven’t. I’ve been in Octavia for a month now and things haven’t changed at all. Actually, they keep on getting worse with each one.

I don’t feel stressed out anymore during the day and for a long time, I actually feel safe within these walls. I feel at peace in the day so why won’t these nightmares just go away? Why are the dead still haunting me? Do the dead blame me for their death? But I didn’t do anything, it wasn’t my fault…

I’m trying to leave everything that’s happened to me behind. I’m trying to continue as if nothing happened but it’s not working. The more I try to ignore it, the more it persists. Sometimes when I’m standing onto the balcony of the tower of joy, the thought often goes through my mind to just end it all. Just one leap is all that it would take to end it once and for all. Just one leap and it would all be over within seconds. The faces of the dead, the thousands of screams and the wild fire would all go away but, I don’t want to die…

“It’s late, you should be in bed.” I hear Kougami say from behind, causing me to jump slightly at his sudden presence.

I tighten my grip onto the cold stone railing and I’m not sure why. I'm clutching onto it like I'm holding onto dear life. All of a sudden, I feel so tensed. It's weird...

“I can’t sleep.” I answer back as I look down the tall tower and wonder exactly how long it would take to reach the bottom if I were to jump at this very moment... 

I shouldn’t be thinking this way. The thought of leaping over the railing to my death shouldn’t even circulate through my mind but it is. I know it’s because I’m tired and the lack of sleep is causing my mind to behave this way but ending it all sounds so good. 

What’s wrong with me? 

A normal person shouldn't even be contemplating about ending their own life. Other than the recent misfortunes that has befallen onto me, I have no reasons to have such thoughts. I have everything a person could ever want and more. I should be happy but I'm not and I don't know why.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. You haven’t slept much since we got here.” Kougami calmly voices out.

So he noticed from day one but he chose not to say anything of which I don’t mind but hearing him say it only feels weird. Like he constantly watches me like a hawk, even when I don’t notice him… Well should I be surprised? He did say that he would watch me like a hawk when we first arrived on the island. I just didn't think that he would actually do it.

“What’s keeping you up at night?” He asks.

“Nothing… I just can’t sleep that’s all.” I choose to answer.

I know that I should just tell him the truth but the thing is that I don’t want to explain to Kougami that I’ve been having nightmares night after night since the harbor incident. That the nightmares are always about the same thing but only keeps on getting worse each time. 

I just don’t want to get into that. I just don’t want him to think that I’m weak and that I can't take care of myself. Even more, I don't want him to think that I'm a danger to myself because I'm not. I'm just confused.

“Ginoza, I’ve known you for a month now and I know when something is bothering you.” He tells me and continues, “I know that there’s something that’s keeping you up at night. I just know it and I want to help you but in order for me to do that, you have to let me.”

How can he help me when I’ve tried everything that I can think of? I’ve talked about my nightmares to Risa on multiple occasions and she has suggested some things but they haven’t worked. The thing is that those dreams shouldn’t be haunting me anymore. 

I know that it was a terrible event that happened back at the harbor. And I know that there was nothing that I could have done to prevent it or to save the people who have died that night. I know that and I’ve come to accept it; even though it wasn’t easy but the dreams are still there at night. 

It’s come to a point that I’m afraid to go to sleep at night and the more I keep experiencing those nightmares, the dreams feel more and more real and I’m afraid that eventually they will become real…

“Everything that’s happened… It just won’t go away.” I finally admit after a long silence as a cool gentle breeze brushes my face and I hear Kougami step closer towards me.

“It won’t go away because you won’t let it.” He tells me and I just don’t get how he could come to that conclusion.

I have done everything to let the events that transpired at the harbor go. At first, what happened that night would follow me during the day too but now, I'm fine. During the day, I no longer even remember it and everything is great but it's when night falls that they come back. Each time, they come back stronger as if the memories are angry at me for forgetting about them. Like they don't want me to forget.

“I-”

“I’m not saying that you do it willingly. Consciously you pushed it aside and that’s great but subconsciously it’s still there and it might take a while before it goes away but it will in time.” Kougami quickly cuts me off and explains what he meant and I guess that it does make sense but exactly how long is it going to take. I can't take much more of this, I just can't. I'm at my limit.

“Even my mind is tormenting me…” I mutter back. Ironic how pretty much everything around me is tormenting me and now my mind has turned against me too. How great…

“It will be okay, you just need time to adjust.” Kougami says as if trying to reassure me that it will all come to pass and maybe it will but I’m afraid that it won’t.

I look up towards the starry sky, there’s not a single cloud in the sky tonight and my gaze fall upon the moon. Well, what is left of it anyway. 

The waning crescent they call it and soon the new moon will come which only means that Kougami will be leaving soon. He hasn’t said anything but I remember when he told me that his kind must always return to the sea before the new moon otherwise they’ll never be able to return and I seriously doubt it that he’ll sacrifice such a thing for me…

“I’ll be away for a day or two, I have to return to the sea for a bit but I’ll be back before you know it.” He tells me as I feel his hands rest on my shoulders as he spoke and I don’t know why but I felt my stomach sink down to my guts.  

Kougami leaving for the sea was always a factor. He’s not human so of course he needs to do what is right for him but I don’t want him to go. Even though I feel safe on this island, I don’t want to be left alone here. Maybe I’m just being selfish but it's creepy how I was thinking about that and Kougami just said exactly what was on my mind as if he knew what I was thinking…

“Okay…” I mutter but I’m not okay. I don’t want him to go, I’ve grown too accustomed to having Kougami around. “I’m tired…” I add.

“Yes you are. It’s written all over your face.” Kougami tells me so it’s that obvious… “Time for bed, come on.” He adds and we go back inside but I’m not looking forward to seeing another bloodied disfigured face.

**XXX**

* * *

**XXX**

I wish that Kougami would have woke me up before he left. I would have liked to talk to him before he just vanished but he didn’t and I’m not exactly sure when he left this morning only that he was already gone when I woke up. I’m not even sure if he realizes what day it is today… I wish he would have at least told me where he was going. Well, I do know. He told me that he needed to go back to the sea for a bit but he could have told me if he would be sticking around the island or not.

No one seems to have notice what day it is today, everyone is acting like usual. I’m not even sure why I’m even bothered by it. Of course no one would bother to even know that today is my name day. To the Islanders, I’m sure that name days are no big deals and besides, it’s just like any other day. The only difference is that it just marks that on this particular day, you turn one year older.

“Are you hiding from me, your grace?” Risa asks, pulling me out of my thoughts and I can’t help but smile a little at that. It really doesn’t matter where I go, she always ends up finding me and I still have no idea how she does it.

“Hiding from you would be impossible.” I reply back.

“Yes because I see all on this island.” She says playfully as she sits down next to me on the stone bench of the garden.

“Ahhhh, and how do you manage to do that?” I ask.

“I can’t give away my secrets.” She tells me. But seriously, I would love to know her secret or maybe I’m just that obvious so it makes it easy for her to find me. It’s probably because I’m just too predictable, yeah that must be it.

“Everything is in full bloom now except for that tree over there.” I voice out as I point out to the tree in the corner of the garden that’s full of pink buds that have yet to open and I can’t help but wonder when they’ll bloom. They’ve been this way for a while now.

“Yes the dear cherry blossom is a complex tree. She’s a fussy one; her buds only bloom when she wants to bloom.” Risa replies back with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

“Perhaps I should order her to bloom in the name of the king?” I ask a little playfully. Not like ordering a tree would actually work anyway but it would be indeed funny to watch someone try.

“Maybe that would work but careful, she might sting you.” Risa quickly shoots back. How a simple tree with absolutely no thorns could possibly sting anyone is beyond me unless it holds a nest of wasps hidden somewhere in those branches covered in lush greens.

I love the garden that this castle has. Actually I love this garden way more than the one back at the Tearling. The water garden is one of my favourite part of it and what I simply adore from the water garden is that it’s completely in the center of the vast garden which allows you to see everything that surrounds it perfectly as you listen to the water flowing. It’s calming and I could stay here for hours. Even if it’s raining, there’s a pavilion located right at the center of a small high island of land connected by moon bridges on all four sides.

“I want to show you something.” Risa tells me as she gets ups and urges me to follow.

“Like what?” I ask.

“You’ll see.” She replies back as she pulls me up to my feet and I follow her towards the back of the garden. Well, towards the part of the garden that seems to be the only part that isn’t well taken cared off and I guess it kind of makes sense since this is the back and you have to do on purpose to come here so on normal circumstances, no one sees this section so no one cares.

“It’s a stone wall covered in vines.” I state as I’m starring at the over grown vines unimpressed and Risa quickly gestures to me to keep my voice down as she looks around in case anyone is around and once she’s satisfied that we are completely alone she moves the thick vines away to reveal a tunnel that's completely hidden by the organic mass.

Risa quickly gesture me to enter the cave and without question I do so followed by Risa. She carefully places the vines back to the point that you can’t even see a glimpse of the garden on the other side. Once she’s satisfied that the tunnel entrance is well covered, she turns away and walks to the other side of the tunnel to reveal a small beach.

“Okay now this, I wasn’t expecting at all.” I comment as I step out of the tunnel and walk closer to the edge of the beach. I had no idea that there was even a small beach on this island; everything is pretty much closed off. I thought that if you wanted to be near the ocean, you had to leave the city and go to the docks. 

“No one knows about this place. You really have to know that the rock tunnel is there behind the vines. And unless you pass through it, you can’t get to this part of the island due to the rocks that surrounds the beach.” Risa explains and I can see what she means. There are huge rocks that surround the beach a bit further. The gaps between the rocks are too narrow to get through with a rowing boat and the current seems to be a bit too violent near those rocks so swimming is definitely out of the question. Anyone who would dare to try would get themselves smashed against the rocks unless you’re a merman or mermaid that is.

“A secret hideout. Not bad, not bad at all.” I voice out.

“I used to come here often when I was younger. It was my own little secret; it was the only thing on this island that was truly mine.” Risa further explains and adds, “Something that I didn’t have to share with anyone else.”

I understand how she feels about that. Maybe it’s not exactly the same thing per say but I can understand completely. Risa being a handmaiden doesn’t have any possessions that truly are hers other than things that her father might have given her. And her father… Just like mine, is someone that we can’t have to ourselves. Their duty always comes first so even when they’re there, they’re not.

“Am I in danger? I know your secret hideout now.” I voice out playfully.

“Yes, I plan on eliminating you and cast your body into the sea.” Risa shoots back.

This little beach reminds me of back home. That’s one thing that I miss about the Tearling. Even though I was pretty much forced to remain within the castle walls, I still was able to retreat to a secluded beach. It was much bigger than this one but the vibe that I get is still the same. Although I don’t want to admit it, I’m home sick. I’ve never been away from home for so long and I didn’t think that I would miss it so much but I do.

“You seem so sad.” Risa remarked, catching me out of my thoughts.

“I’m fine.” I say back as I sit down on the fine sand.

“Are you?” She asks as she sits down next to me and continues, “You say you’re fine but there’s sadness deep within your eyes.”

If only it was sadness that keeps on torturing me then I would be perfectly fine but it’s not. Yes there are some things that I’m sad about but they’re all things that I can’t change and I’ve come to accept them.

“I’m just tired.” I admit and that’s pretty much what my biggest problem is. Everything that I’m struggling with. I know it would all be better if I could get rid of this fatigue that has accumulated in the last month. I’ve never been this tired; I never knew that I could be this tired…

“You need to rest.” She tells me and if only I could, I would but I can’t.

“I can’t sleep Risa. Every time that I do, I keep waking up in sweats.” I reply back. “And being the prince, I always have to show my face. I can’t just vanish from public eye, especially now since I’m a guess on another land.” I add.

“Yes, you’re a prince but you’re also only human.” She quickly states and continues, “You constantly worry about things that you are much too young to even think about. You can’t be king until you become nineteen. Even if your father would die today, you will only be king in name. You won’t be the one to make the actual decisions until you come of age.”

“You tell me one thing, maester Rodrigue tells me another thing while everyone else tells me that I should kill the boy in order to let the man be born.” I say and add, “No matter what I do, nothing is ever good enough. Someone always wants something that I just can’t give.”

Everything was much simpler back at the Tearling but then again I was kept in the dark about pretty much everything but I didn’t have to worry about anything either. Everything that involved politics was completely hidden from me and quite honestly I liked that. 

Risa is right though. Even if I worry and try to come up with a solution to certain problems, there’s nothing that I can do to solve them. I’m just a prince. I’m not the one in power so other than giving out simple orders here and there, there’s really nothing I can do.

“What do you suggest that I do now?” I ask.

“Well, you rest. You block out everything that you can’t change. You forget about everything that is problematic. Remove all the weight off your shoulders and just relax.” She tells me and I like that idea. To be able to push everything aside and just forget for the time being would be great if only I could do that. “This little piece of paradise should help. Nothing beats lying on the sand, listening to the waves with the sun shining down on you.” She further adds and all of that sounds good, it sounds really good.

“When I was younger, I remember that my mother would take me to the beach behind the palace. I could be childish and just play all day under the sun and it was okay.” I voice out.

“How was she like? Your mother?” Risa asks, almost a bit careful as if she's afraid that it might be a sensitive topic but I've grown used to the fact that my mother is gone.

“It’s been so long since she died. I barely remember how she looked like but she was the only one who never tried to change me. Whatever I wanted to do, it was always okay as long as it wasn’t anything bad.” I say and add, “I remember seeing her always happy and kind.”

“You know, your mother probably wouldn’t want you to be sad. She’d probably want you to continue and do what you feel is right. You don’t have to do everything yourself.” Risa tells me but it's much easier said than done.

“I don’t want to be seen as weak-”

“You’re not weak for letting those who are more capable to handle certain things. That’s called being smart. You’re the prince. Just sit back and watch things unfold and when something happens that you don’t like, bark your order and sit back some more. That’s what it means being a prince and in the meantime, just enjoy what life gives you.” She cuts me off and puts in her word and again I agree with what she says but it's still easier said than done.

“She sells seashells by the seashore…” I say as the phrase came into mind and surprisingly I got them right in a single try.

“What?” Risa asks in confusion.

“It’s a game that my mother used to play with me when I was little.” I state and explain, “It’s harder than what it sounds. What you do is you say ‘‘She sells seashells by the seashore.’’ Really fast and the point is that you have to say it properly without making any mistakes while saying it.”

“Okay, sounds easy enough.” Risa voices and starts, “She shells-”

“I thought you said that it was easy.” I tell her unable to hold my laughter and she does the same before trying to say it again only to make the exact same mistake.

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 20.5**

**Kougami**

I finally found the reason why Ginoza can’t sleep properly at night. To be honest, I should have realized it much sooner. It was such a simple thing to come down to and maybe Ginoza wouldn’t be in this state if I had acted sooner. But right now, giving him what he needs might be a bit problematic in a way but I’ll figure something out.

It’s no mystery that when you sleep, you fall into a vulnerable state and in Ginoza’s case. Well, his vulnerability becomes very high when he falls asleep which is all caused by his subconscious and he can’t fight off the bad dreams that his mind keeps on fabricating. And thus, he wakes up constantly in terror. 

Anyway, his vulnerability lowers greatly when he’s sleeping near someone that he trusts. And because of that, he’s able to sleep soundly without waking up even once which is great since he needs rest more than anything right now. He needs to get rid of that accumulated fatigue and I’m more than ready to do anything in order to allow him to achieve that. I don’t care what the commander will say about it. I will keep Ginoza company at night in order for him to get the sleep that he so desperately needs.

I must be honest though. Holding Ginoza in my arms last night in his bed was just perfect but it was pure torture for me at the same time. It was really hard for me not to cross the line of his boundaries. His scent was so intoxicating and I just wanted to feel him up and just go wild but I didn’t. I didn’t even try to pull a move onto him in respect to his earlier wishes but I was indeed surprised that he allowed me to be that close to him in the first place. It only shows to prove just exactly how tired that he really is and I can’t deny that I savored the moment I had with him. Having his body pressed so closely to mine was just amazing.

It was hard to leave him this morning. Watching him sleep so peacefully was truly beautiful and I wish that I could have been there to see him wake up but it took every bit of restraint not to wrongfully touch him. With everything that’s surrounding me at the moment; I’m truly not in the best state of mind. I’m a lustful beast and I know that I’m not right. I can’t continue to be lustful towards Ginoza, it’s disrespectful and wrong. He doesn’t exist for the sake of being lusted over and I need to do something about myself…

“How does it feel having that tail back after being a month on land?” I hear Kane suddenly ask, dragging me out of my thoughts in the process.

“Nothing beats the tail.” I answer back as I force my tail upwards and quickly slam it back into the water, causing a rather loud splash.

I must say that I missed the ocean water. Just lying in the water, soaking up the sun is simply therapeutic. It might seem strange to humans but we need the ocean in a way. It helps us to decompress, allows all of our stress to simply wash away.

“Yes I’m sure.” Kane voices out as he climbs down the rock steps and sits down on a large rock.

“What do you want Kane?” I ask as I lean back in order to relax.

“Nothing. Just taking a chill time for a bit and you just happened to be in my favourite spot.” He quickly responds calmly  before skipping a rock across the water with little success.

Now that he mentioned it, this spot does look like it’s frequently used by humans. I came here thinking that no one would come here since I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone. I guess I should have chosen my spot a bit better.

“I can go elsewhere.” I say.

“There’s enough room for two individuals to chill. I’m not greedy, I can share.” Kane quickly shoots back as he skips another rock onto the calm water. And I think if I would leave to go elsewhere, I might actually offend him.

Personally I enjoy Kane, he’s a good guy. He’s got an easy going attitude with a calm temperament. I’ve been here for a month and I’ve seen this guy quite a lot and up until now I still haven’t seen him blow a fuse. He’s incredibly patient and he always takes the time to listen when a problem occurs but he quickly takes care of it without delay.

“You’d make a good leader of men. You’re quite good at being in command.” I tell him and it’s the truth. Kane would indeed be a great leader; the people adore and respect him. No one would object if he were to rise into power, he’s got the head for it.

“I prefer to follow.” He states and adds, “I’m no leader.”

I wonder why so many humans who possess great talent to lead always seem to prefer following instead? I seriously can’t understand that, I can’t come to comprehend it at all.

Kane doesn’t only have the right temperament and attitude to be a great leader of men. He also possesses the looks to attract people to follow him. I must admit that Kane himself, compared to many islanders, he’s actually quite good looking. Even before when he was in poor tattered clothes with somewhat messy hair. I could see through the soldier filth that he was quite handsome.

I understand why the Islander soldiers wouldn’t take the time to take care of their appearance when out on the sea since their looks isn’t a priority at the moment. Their priority when on the sea is for potential battles and also their barbarian appearance helps to strike fear to their enemies.

Anyway, now that Kane is fully settled onto the island, he’s putting more effort into his appearance. His clothes are all clean and of great quality too. His face is always clean shaven which was something that he kept on doing even on the sea which means that there's a certain level of care that he wouldn't cross over. His light brown hair is not messy and is instead neatly groomed with the top half tied back with a few stray strands that frame his face. It’s a wonder how this man isn’t already married with children…

“What is Ginoza up to?” I ask in curiosity. To be honest, I wish I could have stayed with him but I know that he understands that I had to leave for a bit and I know that he’ll be fine on his own for a while. He’s in good hands after all.

“No idea. Being a kid somewhere on the island I suppose.” Kane answers back. “Doing something that he’s not supposed to do, probably.” He adds calmly like it was nothing.

“You seem fine with that?” I ask.

“He might be the prince but that doesn’t give us the right to forget that he’s still just a child.” He calmly responds and continues, “Children need to make mistakes in order to learn. They need to act childish and be a little foolish and not to mention that he is in that age that he craves freedom.”

“Ginoza can’t afford to do that.” I quickly state.

Kane is right that children should be allowed to be somewhat carefree and childish. They should be allowed to play and have fun but most children are not princes. Ginoza is not like every other boys of his age; he has a duty to fulfill. He needs to be mature and act seriously. He’s a prince and he will be a king one day.

“Why? Because he’s the prince, destined to become king?” Kane asks and yeah that’s basically why Ginoza can’t afford to do any of those things. He’s a prince destined to be king one day. He’s not some low born boy who will probably amount to nothing; he’s got a duty to fulfill. “He didn’t ask to be born into the position that he’s in and he didn’t ask for all of this crap to happen. He’s a child and he shouldn’t have to be burdened with what is happening. That’s the job of us adults, we will take care of it and no one expects a boy to fix things that an adult should.” Kane explains his reasoning as he sits down and I guess that he does have a point.

Why should Ginoza have to fix the problems that the older generation caused? When you stop and think about it, it’s not really fair and Ginoza really shouldn’t be burdened with such a thing. It really should be up to the older generation to fix what they caused and Ginoza should just be somewhere in the background enjoying his youth with no care in the world but the world is cruel. Sadly, that’s not how this life works.

“Hey Kane!”

Kane looks up at the mention of his name and I do the same only to see that it’s Murray and for some odd reason, he seems to be in a rather good mood. That guy is one of the Islanders that I have the most problem to read. One minute he could kill a bear and the next minute he’s this light hearted guy who constantly jokes about everything.

One thing is for sure though; he’s not a man that I would call good looking. For starters, he completely shaves his head for whatever reason that I don’t know. He’s got a rather large forehead and keeps his face clean shaven. He doesn’t dress poorly but he doesn’t dress fancy either and whatever hair that he doesn’t have on his head. I think it has found its way to his arms and chest. The guy is like a hairy gorilla but if you ignore all of that, he might be shorter than Kane but he’s got a much more muscular body than the other man.

“Got your spyglass with you?” Murray asks Kane.

“I do.” Kane answers as he pulls out his golden coloured spyglass and asks, “Why?”

“Look over there on the no man’s land beach.” Murray says as he points towards a small patch of land in the distance before pulling out his own spyglass as both men look towards the small patch of land. “Don’t ask me how they managed to get on that piece of land.” Murray adds which sparks my curiosity as to whom he’s referring to.

“Huh…” Kane lets out without much interest but never looks away from his spyglass.

“What is it?” I ask after silence took over and none of the men would say anything. 

Exactly what is going on? I want to know, I have the right to know.

“The prince and Dormer’s daughter are alone on the secluded beach. They seem pretty close.” Kane tells me and quite frankly I don’t like how it sounds. They seem pretty close, yeah I can only imagine how close and I don’t like it.

“Very close.” Murray quickly adds and continues, “Oh!? Oh so very close!”

“Yeah…” Kane says almost in a discouraged tone or tired tone, I'm not exactly sure which. Anyway, he doesn’t seem impressed at all as he asks, “So… How do we get there exactly?”

“My child is all grown up.” Murray chortled.

“What’s going on?” I ask Kane as I ignore Murray. He’s clearly not helping anyone. By all means, the situation sounds serious so he should act as such and not like a total imbecile. 

“A making out session!” Murray answers before Kane could say anything and adds in between laughter, “I’m so proud of him!”

A making out session!? I leave Ginoza for like what? A few hours? And look at what happens, he’s soiling himself. I should have known that this was going to happen; his scent has not started changing for no reason. He’s maturing so now, his libido must be rising and who knows, maybe the coming of the new moon is affecting him to some extend. Fuck, why now of all times!?

“Our child is now off to conquer the ladies.” Murray chortled some more and I swear that Kane and I gave him the exact same look at the exact same time.

How on earth can he even find this funny? This is serious. Murray is not even thinking about the long term effect that this can cause. By all means, this little blunder that Ginoza is doing can cost him his life. He’s not thinking!

“Murray this is hardly the time to make jokes.” Kane tells him and I agree but that’s not stopping him from continuing to laugh his ass off.

Murray is seriously proud of Ginoza that he made a move on the giant Dormer’s daughter. I’m sorry but this is not a good thing, this is bad, this is more than bad. It’s terrible, it’s a nightmare. Only Kane sees things my way but other than that, I can’t believe that Kane and I are surrounded by idiots.

“Anyway, while I figure out a way onto that beach. Kougami, would you mind breaking that up for me?” Kane asks me as he puts his spyglass away and he doesn’t have to tell me twice. Of course I’ll go break that up and I’ll do more than just break it up.

“Yeah… Sure.” I say before I dive into the water and speed up into a rapid swim.

I can see why Kane has no idea how to reach the small beach. For some odd reason the water is a bit more violent as I get closer towards the rocks that surrounds it. Any human who would try to swim there would indeed be killed within minutes.

I did notice that beach before but I paid no mind to it because it just seemed like nothing. It’s a small part of land that extends away from the Island’s massive wall so you have to be outside of the island in order to see it but no one can reach it so the Islanders simply don’t care about it. And yet, now that Ginoza and Dormer’s daughter have been spotted there, how on earth did they manage to get there? The only explanation is that there’s a breach within the walls and that’s not good. That’s not good at all and I wonder if the commander is even aware that his wall is damaged.  

“The shows over.” I say the moment that I reach the surface causing Ginoza and the girl to separate in all haste as I swim closer to the shore of the beach. “You better find your father before Kane does. He ain’t too happy over there.” I tell the girl and without a word she quickly storms off back towards the wall but due to the rocks that surrounds the small beach, I quickly lose sight of her so I have no idea where’s the breach.

“I’m not finished with you so you stay put.” I quickly bark as Ginoza was about to stand up.

“What?” He asks as if what I just caught him do was no big deal. He’s just so careless, truly unbelievable.

“Don’t give me that, you know exactly what. That girl is the daughter of a giant.” I tell him, my tone a bit higher than I originally intended but his carelessness is just making me so angry. “How many men would it take to stop him once he finds out you’ve been shagging his daughter?” I ask and just by his expression, Ginoza just wants me to shut up but I won’t. He’s going to hear me out whether he wants to or not, it’s time that he stops acting like a damn child!

“We didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t get why you’re making such a big deal out of it.” Ginoza quickly replies and I just can’t believe it. He honestly thinks that he has not done anything wrong? Seriously? Truly unbelievable.

“I don’t know Ginoza. A secluded beach that Kane has absolutely no idea how you two even got here in the first place and to top it all he sees your little show from a distance.” I say.

Talk about a nasty surprise so early in the morning.

Kane sure did call it correctly when I asked him if he knew where Ginoza was. He said that he was probably doing something that he shouldn’t be doing and that’s exactly what he was doing. Except, I don’t think Kane had something like that in mind though.

“We kissed, it’s no big deal and I like her, I like her a lot.” Ginoza states and I seriously doubt it that he knows anything about love. He’s a clueless naive child who’s hormones are starting to spiral out of control. He has absolutely no restraint what so ever and he clearly doesn’t think before acting.

“Be honest with me here. How long has this been going on?” I dare ask.

“I don’t know, maybe like a minute until you showed up!” He blurts out with a bit of attitude in his tone and continues, “We were just talking and I don’t know, it just happened.”

“Well it can’t happen again. You’re a prince and she’s a handmaiden, it doesn’t mix.” I tell him and I don’t care if it’s something that he doesn’t want to hear, I will say it.

Honestly, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s a prince and she’s a handmaiden and women like her can’t ever marry a prince. She’s a low born, the lowest of the lowest. Her status will never rise and she’ll never marry into a noble house. She’s not a suitable match for Ginoza and not to mention. The chances are his sole attraction towards that girl is probably due to her figure and what’s in-between her legs.

“That’s not fair-”

“No it’s not but that’s how it is. You’re a prince and it’s time that you start acting like one and not like a spoiled little child.” I quickly cut him off.

I know that it isn’t fair and even if his feelings for that handmaiden were true. The fact still remains that he can’t be with her. She’s not a suitable match for a prince and quite frankly she doesn’t look like a proper lady either. Ladies all wear their hair long and in a fashionable hairstyle. While Risa; well, she wears it rather short and I’m sorry but she just doesn’t give the appearance of a proper queen.

“You have responsibilities and because you are a prince, the responsibilities towards your country are more important than your personal feelings. It’s the burden that you must carry and that’s what it is-”

“I don’t want it!” Ginoza shouts back and storms off before I can say anything else.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Ginoza**

How did things turn into a complete mess so quickly…?

Who am I kidding…? I should have known that things were going too great for me. There was no way that something so good could have lasted…

I know it wasn’t proper but it’s not like anything happened so I don’t see the big deal of it. Anyway, thanks to Kougami, I was able to sleep soundly without experiencing a single nightmare and for that, I’m forever thankful.

This morning, I woke up refresh and even though it was a let-down that Kougami was already gone, I was still contempt with how things were. Even though, everyone forgot that it was my name day, I didn’t mind and I enjoyed the quietness and the tranquility that the garden had to offer. With a warm sunny day, how could I complain?

Although I enjoyed the quietness, I didn’t mind when Risa joined me later on. Her presence is always nice and soothing even. When she’s not around, I find that time passes by so slowly and everything just seems so dull. It’s almost scary how Risa can change everything within a matter of seconds…

Now… I wonder if things will be different…

Because of me, I know that I got Risa in a lot of trouble but it’s not like we did anything wrong on the beach. We were just talking and we played a few games in the sand and then we kissed. I don’t know why I went there, it just happened and the next thing I know, everyone is losing their marbles because of it.

I don’t even know why anyone even gives a damn about it to begin with. It was just a kiss. It wasn’t like we were on full make out mode on the beach in the middle of an indecent act. It was just a simple kiss.

The thing is, if it had been with some high noble man’s daughter, I’m sure not a single person would even bat an eye about it. They’re all just making a fuss out of it because it was Risa, the daughter of the giant Dormer. A man who doesn’t hold much to his name and that’s not fair.

Considering how I’ve seen a lot of people kiss each other in public within the city during my stay here is something that frustrates me a bit. So many have the freedom to do what they want while I can’t do anything without causing some sort of scandal. I may be a prince but I have no freedom…

I hate this life, I hate my life.

After what happened, I’ve been receiving lectures after lectures from so many to the point that my head is spinning. It’s annoying how I’m being punished for allowing myself to be affectionate towards another. But it’s fine, I’m used to be treated with injustice. What angers me is that I’m sure Risa must be getting it worse than me.

The only punishment I got, not including the endless amounts of lecture was to be confined inside of my tower until they decide what to do about all of this as if it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened. Like seriously, it’s like Risa and I murdered someone or something.

The only person who doesn’t seem to be bothered by all of this is Murray. Instead of lecturing me, he instead encouraged me to do it again and was about to say something else but Kane made him leave before he could…

The sound of a door opening in the distance catches my attention and just as it opened it slowly closes again followed by slow and heavy footsteps. If I could, I would jump into a small hole to hide in. I’m sick and tired of being constantly lectured over and over again about something that’s no big deal.

Slow steady footsteps is all I can hear until all goes quiet and I know that he’s standing in the doorway of my bedroom but I can’t turn to look at him. I just don’t want to look into his eyes right now and see him look at me with a judgemental expression. He’s the last person that I wanted to see and yet I knew he’d come eventually. I just didn’t know when but now he’s here and I wish I could just disappear.

“You came to give me a lecture too?” I ask without removing my gaze from my window and add, “I’ve had plenty of those today…”

“No little bird, I’m not here to lecture you.” He tells me as I hear him walk closer towards me. “Chairs have been invented to sit on. Windows were not.” He adds, not like I didn’t see that one coming. Everyone who sees me sitting here always makes the same remark but I’ve been sitting on the edges of windows ever since I could remember. I’ve never taken a fall and well I don’t plan on taking one now.

“Why are you here?” I ask, not boring to climb down as I keep my gaze onto the calm ocean that’s starting to crimson due to the setting sun.

“To give you this.” He answers calmly as he comes closer towards me and I look up to meet his gaze before my eyes shift towards his hands to see that he’s holding something wrapped in cloth. “For your name day.” He adds.

I keep on starring at the object that seems somewhat slender and short under that thick layer of white cloth. Somehow it looks rather small in his hand but what can I expect, he’s a giant. Probably everything must look small in those large hands of his.

I reach out for the object and begin to unwrap the cloth only to find it to be a dagger. Not that I should be surprised considering that it’s Dormer but I still wasn’t expecting it. Actually considering everything that’s happened, I’m surprised that he even chose to give me something. I’m the guy who was caught kissing his daughter after all. By all means, he should be furious with me and yet he seems rather calm.

To be honest though, Dormer was the last person I would have thought would have remembered by name day. I wasn’t expecting anything from anyone…

“Thank you…” I say as I inspect the craftsmanship of the dagger.

I may not know much about taggers, to me they simply look like a knife but a tad bit longer but even I can see that this isn’t cheap. I’m afraid to even know how much Dormer spent on this. The dagger itself has a long double-edged blade forged from silver and surprisingly it’s harder and sharper than what I would have expected from silver.

The silver blade is fixed onto a rich hilt of shinning gold metal with a smooth grip made of bluish crystals decorated with small sapphire gems. A delicate set of designs are carved into the blade near the spine to add an elegant finish to the blade.

The matching sheath only further adds to the dagger’s beauty and gives it the appearance of being freshly forged but the overall of the dagger does not hint to who might have crafted it or from where it was forged.

“I had it made specifically for you.” He informs me and that pretty much confirms my suspicions that the dagger was relatively new but it still feels rather odd that Dormer went out of his way to have this made for me. “Hide it inside one of your boots; it might come in handy with this war that’s brewing.” He quickly adds.

It’s a beautiful dagger but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a weapon. It’s short and slim enough to fit discreetly inside of a boot but none the less sharp. With its short double-edged blade, it’s the perfect weapon to use in close combat.

Someone who is an expert fighter, they can be quite deadly with a dagger but I’m not an expert fighter…

“I hope that I don’t have to use it.” I say and yet I know I might actually have to use it. It’s a shame though. The dagger is too beautiful for it to be used in bloodshed.

“I hope so too little bird.” He voices out as he crosses his arms against his large chest and I can tell that he’s just itching for me to get down from the window’s edge. I think he’s even struggling with himself not to pull me down and just thinking that is kind of funny.

I guess I can’t blame anyone for stressing about my unorthodox habits. I guess it’s only natural, even the most skilled people can have a mishap and in my situation a mistake can lead to severe injuries or worst, death.

“Are you angry at me?” I ask the daring question as I leap down from the window’s edge, bracing myself for whatever is in store for me.

“Angry? No. It always takes two to play and my daughter is a capable young woman who does what she wants.” Dormer calmly says like it was nothing and for once it’s nice to talk to someone who’s not making a big deal about it. Especially since Dormer is Risa’s father. Of all people who have the right to make a fuss, it’s him. “Nothing ever happens without her consent and she’s old enough to know exactly what she’s doing and what the consequences of her decisions and actions are.” He adds without any worries.

Thinking back at the time in Donau, I had been so afraid of that man. Just being near him made me anxious and I had believed that he could have harmed me. But now, I feel really stupid for having believed that, even for a second. My mother always told me never to judge anyone by their appearance and in the end I did just that. I judged every single Islander because of how they looked like and my judgement about them was not even close to the truth.

All the fear I had for Dormer is long gone and I don’t know why but I strongly value what he thinks of me. Never in my wildest dream would have thought that I would look up to someone like Dormer. He’s strong and wild when needs be but when everything is peaceful, he’s a great man. He’s a man of valor and honor.

“Is it bad that I like Risa a lot?” I dare ask as I look up to meet his dark brown eyes looking back at me but with a calmness in them.

“No, little bird. I can’t tell you that it’s bad to like or love someone even if that person happens to be my daughter.” Dormer answers with a gentle calmness and hearing him say that made the anxiety that had been in me to dissipate. “Risa is my daughter but I do not own her. She’s her own person and she’s old enough to decide what she wants.” He adds.

I wish everyone were like Dormer right now. Somehow everything would be much simpler if they were. It’s not because he doesn’t make a big deal out of this but because he gives me a freedom that no one allows me. He doesn’t give me a free for all, I do have some boundaries but they are logical. I just don’t feel like I have to worry when I do things.

“I don’t feel like we did anything wrong but everyone is angry at me. Kane, Kougami and Maester Rodrigue are all angry at me and constantly keeps on giving lectures after lectures about holy vows and so on.” I say and continue, “Murray is the only one who finds it funny and I can just imagine Sugo’s reaction once he gets informed of it and my father… He’ll be furious that I’m sure…”

“No one is angry at you little bird.” Dormer replies and I wish I could say something that would prove me wrong. Although Kane was calm when he lectured me, I could sense some frustration in his tone when he spoke. Even he was trying to keep his cool about the whole thing and considering how that man is always calm, to get him frustrated is not comforting in the slightest.

“I didn’t do anything wrong and yet everyone acts as if I committed a terrible crime.” I say as I wander around the room before sitting down on the bench, resting my back against the footboard of the bed with the dagger tightly in my grasp.

Silence fills the room as I’m waiting for Dormer to say something but he doesn’t. The silence lingers and the thing that breaks the silence are his heavy footsteps as he comes towards me and sits down on the bench right next to me.

“Do you remember when Kane spoke to you about what makes a good king, little bird?” He asks, killing the long silence.

How could I forget? It’s the time when I found out that my grandfather was insane and everything I knew about him were false or half-truths. It’s also the same day that I learned that I’m not human, that I’m a mix creature…

“Yes…” I mutter.

“Your great grandfather Gendry did everything that first popped into his head without any regard to the consequences of his actions.” Dormer tells me as he continues, “He whored and he never had enough no matter how many women he bedded but he never took responsibility for any of them and unfortunately he had so many bastard children.”

“I could never do something so irresponsible.” I quickly reply.

“We all know that and that’s also why many are making a big deal out of something so minor. They failed to see it coming; they were simply unprepared for it. As your council, it’s our duty to fuss about things that might come as a concern to us.” He explains and I guess that makes sense and I have to wonder if my father’s council behave the same way.

I understand that no one wants to see me do the exact same thing as my great grandfather. He was a great soldier but a poor king who only cared about getting drunk and bedding women for simply the pleasure of it. He didn’t have much interest in doing his duties and because of him, the country suffered economically for a while until the council took matters into their own hands. Fortunately the council was not filled with men with their own agendas otherwise my great grandfather could have been overthrown.

No one wants to see me become my grandfather either. He might have started out as a good king but he ended up becoming the worst king that ever sat on the thrown but I don’t think I’ll go down his path. I don’t enjoy cruelty and I don’t want to see unnecessary bloodshed. I want peace and I want to see my people prosper and live in happiness. I just don’t want to be forced to do anything against my will; I want to be able to love whoever I want. I don’t want social status to determine who I end up with.

“But… As much as I hate to admit it, my daughter is no good for a prince. My social standings are just not good enough to allow my daughter a chance to become queen. Your father will never allow it, little bird.” Dormer adds what I already knew but it still hurts as I feel my stomach drop and churn. It’s just not fair…


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Kougami**

One of these days, humans are going to be the death of me…

I’m surrounded by a bunch of idiots… It’s almost unbelievable.

As much as I like Kane, he’s too laid back for these kinds of situations. He told me that he gave Ginoza a lecture for his actions but I can just imagine how that must have gone down. Ginoza won’t learn a single thing from this and I know he’ll do it again too.

Murray on the other hand, he sees this as a complete joke. He’s actually proud of Ginoza for pulling a move onto the giant’s daughter. He doesn’t even see the danger that Ginoza could have put himself into. It was careless and thoughtless!

I hate being separated from Ginoza right now. I just can’t help but worry constantly about him. I fear that Ginoza is going to do something that will end up hurting him.

Shit!

Yesterday, when I saw him with that girl, I just lost my cool. But to be honest, it wasn’t because I caught him kissing a girl. The thing is, I got jealous… 

I deeply care for Ginoza, I’m giving him all the affection that I can give but it’s not enough. As much as I say that everything is fine, it bothers me that he’s not growing any closer towards me. I feel him backing away from me and instead of returning the affection, he goes to someone else.

It shouldn’t come to me as much of a surprise though. That handmaiden’s figure is hard to ignore. Ginoza would be a fool if he didn’t try to get some of that while he can. It’s not uncommon for princes to have mistresses by their side even before they get married. Why did I ever think that Ginoza would be any different? He’s not fully human either; his Merblood is probably starting to boil.

I can’t help but sigh at the thought of Ginoza’s Merblood flowing through his veins. We Merpeople have learned to control our sexual urges because sometimes it’s just best to stay abstinent. But when it comes to humans, well, they have very little control of their sexual urges. They allow their sexual desires to take over them and in turn, they indulge in lust. It’s one of the main reasons why so many Merpeople go to humans to relieve their own sexual urges because we know that humans can never say no to a good fucking. Except for Ginoza… He’s the exception or maybe it would be different now since his blood is boiling.

A sweet scent catches my attention, a scent that I’ve come to know all too well. I could be asleep and that scent would be enough to snap me wide awake but it’s different now. The scent is stronger with a hint of wildness and I can’t deny that the thoughts that are going through my mind are anything but pure.

 I quickly submerge myself into the dark water. Speeding up my pace towards the small patch of land and once I pass the circlet of rocks I resurface and there he is, just sitting on the beach and I have to wonder exactly why he’s here to begin with.

It’s pretty late. By all means, Ginoza should be in the Tower of Joy sleeping in his large bed under those red silk covers. And yet, he’s here all alone and I have to wonder if he’s waiting for that handmaiden to come and meet him. Seriously, he can’t be planning on doing what I think he’s going to do? No, Ginoza is not that stupid, right?

Right!?

“Waiting for someone?” I shout as I swim closer, catching Ginoza’s attention in the process.

By the expression that Ginoza is giving me, I know I just said the wrong thing just now. I know I probably should have held my tongue or said something else but the words just came out. But it’s not just that, I just can’t hold in my jealousy. I just have this urge to sabotage any sexual activities that Ginoza could have. Especially when his scent tonight is just so alluring, so captivating and so damn irresistible.

I still can’t believe how much his scent has changed from the first time I laid eyes on him. In the beginning, his scent was sweet, delicate even and somewhat rare. It was a scent that you just could not ignore and during the last two weeks, his scent started to change. His sweet scent started to grow stronger but it never lost its delicacy and richness. It just kept on growing into what it is now. It’s now to the point that it’s intoxicating.

“No Kougami. I’m not waiting for Risa or any other women.” He answers numbly. “It was just a kiss, nothing more.” He adds.

“Then what were the two of you doing out here on your own?” I ask as I slightly pull myself onto the beachy shore.

“The same thing that I’m doing right now.” He quickly replies.

“You two were doing more than just sitting around-”

“It was just a kiss, Kougami. Stop making such a big deal out of it when it’s not.” He quickly cuts me off and I almost feel bad about it, just almost.

“Sorry about that.” I say but I don’t mean it though. I just want Ginoza all to myself but I don’t want to just take him. I want him to give himself to me out of his own free will and desires but he doesn’t and it just frustrates me to no end. “Did you like it?” I ask. It's not really something I want to know but I’m trying to get my mind off of how Ginoza would sound like in pure ecstasy. It'snot working though. I can just imagine how he would sound like and the thought alone is rather exciting.

“It was nice.” He says as he looks down to his hands as he slowly runs his fingers into the sand.

In a short amount of time, I can see that Ginoza has grown and he’s maturing quite nicely. I can’t help but smile at the thought of his growth. Even if I hate the fact that he’s starting to venture into the world of a man, I’m still proud of what he’s become. I know deep down that he’ll make a great king someday and I hope that he won’t act foolishly and cause himself any trouble on the way there.

“You’re growing. Your scent is changing, it’s a sign that you’re maturing.” I tell him, catching his attention in the process.

“My scent? Are you saying that I smell?” He quickly asks, somewhat offended that I even said that. “I had a bath this morning and I don’t smell anything.” He adds after he took a quick whiff of himself.

“No, Ginoza. Everyone has a particular scent that is unique to them.” I quickly explain as I try to think of what else to say to better explain exactly what I want to say, “And yours, well…”

“Mine is what?” He asks as his eyes meet mine.

“Intoxicating.” I blurt out the only word that I could find that best defined his scent and that’s what it is. His scent is so strong and yet so sweet and delicate that it’s hard to put into words. “The more you mature, it gets worse. It’s hard to keep my hands off you. Every time I’m near you, I just want to ravage you.” I admit with a bit of hesitation.

There, it’s out in the open. Ginoza knows to what extent of my attraction is towards him now or maybe he won’t understand the exact meaning of the word ravage. He’s still just a kid after all and he was quite green when I first met him so it wouldn’t surprise me if he's clueless about that. But, it’s been said. I want to ravage him so bad that it hurts.

Ginoza’s eyes slightly widen for a second followed by a grimace before he spoke. “Ravage me… Wow, that’s… I’m not sure what to say to that.”

Okay, maybe he’s not so green after all. 

I’m not sure why for a minute there, I thought that I would get a reaction similar to that time in the mess hall with Maester Rodrigue. He was so clueless back then, so he’s definitely maturing and that’s somewhat frightening.

“I’m a merman and our libido is extremely high. Even more when the new moon approaches so your presence is torturing me right now.” I explain and add, “If I wouldn’t be listening to myself, controlling myself. I would be ravaging you right now.”

“Then why are you here?” He shoots back and that’s a good question. I came here out of my own free will, I knew that the temptation would be even worse if I got closer to Ginoza. And yet, here I am being the fool.

“I wanted to see you.” I reply without hesitation but I refrain myself from saying more that’s on my mind. I would love to say that I want to hold him, kiss him even but I feel like it’d be pushing it a bit but god! I want to kiss those lips so bad!

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” He says after a bit of silence.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” I reply back. I guess in a way, we’re both at fault. Maybe he should have chosen his spot a bit better and I shouldn’t have reacted too harshly towards something so natural. I’m still jealous about it though but I can understand it.

“Are you in pain?” He asks as he drops a fist full of sand and I have to wonder why he would even ask that to begin with. I’m not in pain, oh no. It’s far worse than that. I have a constant urge to fuck and as long as I don’t, the urge will remain all because of the new moon tonight.

“I have a constant urge but no, I’m not in pain.” I answer as I check my tail just to make sure that it’s perfectly submerged in the water.

Tonight of all nights, it’s important that my tail does not dry up because if it does I’ll never be able to return to the ocean. I’ll be forever trapped to live on the surface as a human until my last days and I don’t want that. I love the endless abyss of the ocean way too much to leave it.

“I tried not to get close to Risa but the more I got to know her, my feelings for her just kept on growing.” Ginoza says after another long silence and I can’t help but feel a hint of sadness in his tone as he spoke.

“You love her…” I mutter but Ginoza doesn’t look at me and instead, his eyes are focused onto the sand at his feet. “Ginoza, I wish that you were free to listen to your heart but you’re promised to another-”

“I asked maester Rodrigue when we first got here if there was a chance that I was promised and I’m not.” He calmly cuts me off and I’m not sure if I should be celebrating at this piece of news or worried.

It’s not uncommon for princes and princesses to be promised to another the moment they are born. It’s a wise way to cement a strong alliance with a powerful house that you wish to keep loyal to you. It’s basically a protection for the crown and noble lords are always more than happy to have their sons or daughters engaged to the monarchy. It just makes sense.

It leaves me to wonder as to why Ginoza’s father did not do such a thing a long time ago. For one thing, it can’t be because Ginoza is half and half. I'm not certain as to why he hasn't sealed his son into a royal engagement but I do know for a fact that the king has been neglectful towards his child so much that it’s starting to hurt my brain. After all, the man basically failed at raising his kid. Not to mention that he royally failed to teach Ginoza on how to be a king and now I get this shit.

“He told me that all maesters in the country receive news of a royal engagement by the grand maester without exceptions and he received none of the sort. As far as he’s aware, I’m not promised to anyone.” Ginoza further tells me and that can be a problem.

The problem isn’t the fact that Ginoza isn’t engaged to a noble lady. It’s the fact that it leaves Ginoza to believe that he’s free to pursue whoever he may happen to fancy and that can be a problem. It can be a major problem if Ginoza does really find love but his singlehood is only on standby until further notice. He doesn’t have a single word to say at all in this.

“With war on the brink of eruption, forming solid alliances will be vital. Your father will indeed be making such an alliance and strengthen it with the prospect of marriage.” I tell him, obviously not exactly what he wants to hear but this is the harsh truth and I won’t pretend otherwise. Ginoza needs to face those facts and that this is the real reality.

“But how can I marry when I love another?” He quickly shoots back and I feel him. I really do but he doesn’t have the luxury of finding real love. He’s a prince and unlike others, he has a duty to his country and because of that, he will have to make some difficult sacrifices.

“I don’t have an answer to make you feel better. All I can say is that when the time comes, you’ll find the strength to carry out your duty because you must.” I tell him and continue, “It won’t be easy and maybe a new handmaiden would be best. I would recommend that you keep your distance from Risa from now on-”

“How about you stay away from the ocean?” He quickly cuts me off as if it’s his way to spite me or something for having suggested of staying away from Risa.

“Ginoza, it’s not the same thing.” I reply back as I feel another small tide hit my back.

“How is it not the same thing?” He asks. “You don’t need the ocean to live, you said so yourself but you love it and you wouldn’t want to be forced to part from it. Well, I love Risa and I don’t want to part from her.” He further tells me much to my dismay.

Ginoza just turned sixteen; he’s still just a child. What could he possibly know about love? What he believes to be love is simply just an infatuation. For a boy of his age, that infatuation will eventually pass as nothing.

“Ginoza, what I decide to do is not going to affect my people in any way but for you, it’s completely different.” I calmly explain the best as I can without causing further friction and continue, “I know you don’t want to hear it but Risa is not a queen. She’s not a proper lady, she’s what you’d call a brute of a lady and that’s a fact that you can not ignore.”

Risa does have a pretty face and she does have a high intelligence for a woman but she’s not a queen. First of all, she’s rather tall for a woman. Actually she’s almost just as tall as Ginoza and for a king to have a queen almost as tall as himself does not look too good. 

The queen should be graceful, delicate and the embodiment of feminity. And quite frankly, Risa is nothing of the sort. She’s quite voluptuous and her hair is short so no, she can’t be queen.

“Risa is from a noble house…” Ginoza mutters and I can’t believe that he’s still sticking on this. How many times must I say it? Risa is just no good for a prince.

“A small noble house I’m afraid. And Dormer, to make things worse is only the youngest and due to his rank, he wasn’t able to marry a promising noble lady. His deceased wife also had a poor rank and once his father dies, Dormer won’t inherit anything.” I inform Ginoza.

“Life isn’t fair…” He mutters back with a defeated expression on his face. Finally, I finally came around to make him understand the reality of his position.

“You’ll be okay. You’re not the only one who ever had to sacrifice love for duty and you won’t be the last.” I tell him, hopefully that might provide some words of comfort for whatever it’s worth.

“Duty and love shouldn’t have anything to do with each other. And all of that is total bullshit that’s used in order to control another.” He barks back and here we go again. The fire that had burned in his eyes earlier has returned with a strong fierceness and I know I’ll never be able to get him to sway. “Where was my father’s duty when he married my mother?” He asks and he’s got a point. I can’t argue with that fact.

“You know, you have a point there.” I quickly reply. “But enough of this sadness. The night is beautiful, let’s enjoy it.” I quickly add. There’s really no use debating with someone who clearly has made up their mind about something.

“But Kougami, you said that my scent-”

“It’s fine. Like I said before, I have urges but it doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to act upon them.” I cut him off as another soft tide washes my lower body. “I won’t deny that I care about you, I deeply do but I can’t ask you to give yourself up to me. You truly are in love with another and even I can tell that she loves you too, I won’t interfere between love.” I add and I can’t believe how easily the words came out.

It pains me for letting Ginoza go because I want him. I want him so bad but I can’t manipulate someone like that. He clearly loves another and it wouldn’t be right if I tried to seduce Ginoza. He loves her and she loves him and even though I don’t agree with Risa becoming a queen, I can’t cause such a strain. I just can’t no matter how much I want to. It just wouldn’t be right.

“I don’t want you to go, I know it’s selfish of me to ask that of you but you’re my first friend. My first real friend and I don’t want to lose you.” He tells me and that declaration warms my heart. I could never abandon Ginoza, even if I tried.

“That’s not being selfish and I don’t plan on going anywhere. I might go from time to time but I’ll always come back.” I tell him.

Ginoza is truly a handsome young man. He’s just beyond beautiful and his emerald eyes are just as mesmerizing as the first time I saw him. His skin, his face is just as delicate as ever and his raven locks are thick and keeps on getting longer.

At first when I noticed that Ginoza was growing out his hair, I didn’t like it. It looked odd but now, they’re almost reaching the top of his shoulders. I'd say they are about an inch or two before they reach his shoulders and it looks great on him. Somehow it makes his face even more beautiful.

“What?” He asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Your hair, it’s getting quite long.” I say and ask, “Are you growing it out because Risa likes it this way?”

“No, I’m growing it out because I want to and Risa hasn’t said anything about it either.” He answers back which is surprising. I was certain that it was because of Risa so I guess I was wrong.

“Then why all of a sudden you started to grow it out?” I inquire simply out of curiosity. I can’t help but wonder what made Ginoza decide to grow his hair out so spontaneously. Considering that he wore his hair short when I first met him, I don’t think longish hair is in fashion in the capital or I could be wrong.

“Pretty much every Islander have longish hair so I guess I wanted to see what it was all about for myself.” He answers but I don’t buy it. Yeah the Islanders pretty much all have longish hair but not all of them. The commander and liege lord of the Islanders doesn’t have longish hair. I have a feeling that it’s something else. Knowing Ginoza, I have a feeling it has something to due in spite.

“Men don’t wear longish hair at the capital?” I randomly ask.

“Well I have seen some that do have longer hair but my father doesn’t approve of it.” He answers and that answered by suspicions. So he is growing his hair in order to spite his father. That’s a typical action for boys of his age to do. Ginoza is so falling into the rebellion phase so badly.

“What would your father say if he would see you like this?” I ask a bit amused.

“Probably he would oblige me to cut my hair but to be honest, I kind of like it.” He quickly replies and quite frankly if Ginoza likes his hair this way then he should keep it. His father will simply have to deal with it. It’s just hair after all.

“It looks good on you and it’s your hair so do whatever you want with it. Don’t let anyone tell you how you should look like.” I advise and ask, “Have you ever stargazed before?”

“No, I’ve never been allowed outside the palace after dark.” He answers as he drops himself on his back and stares up at the night sky.

Ginoza could not have chosen a better time to come stargazing. With the new moon out in full force, the stars are even more visible compared if it would have been a full moon. And I must say, the stars are shining brightly tonight without a single cloud in sight.

“Enjoy yourself tonight…”


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

  **Ginoza**

The cries of the ocean birds flying overhead are what wakes me up from a dream that was  just  too good to have continued. If only the real world was as pleasant as that dream then the world would be perfect.

It's been so long since I've had a pleasant dream. I'm almost sad to have woken from it but striving for such a similarity is definitely something to aim for. It's nothing grand or unrealistic in anyway, it's definitely doable if one sets their mind to it.

I will be king one day;  I might  as well do what my father was too ignorant to do and be what a king's supposed to be.

The scent of the ocean carried by the gentle breeze is a pleasant greeting to wake up to. It’s somewhat soothing and invigorating at the same time as it wakes up my senses. But, it doesn’t help to make me feel any better to know that Kougami is already gone. I’m not exactly certain when he left.  Probably  sometime after I fell asleep last night. That sure would not surprise me in the slightest. It's definitely something that Kougami would do.

Maybe  it’s better that way…

He promised that he would come back… He promised… So I guess I’ll have to wait and see what promises are  truly  worth to him.

I wonder  what time it is right now?

I wonder  if there are some going into a panic that they can’t find me within the castle or if they’re not even bating an eye about it. After all, where could I  possibly  go on this island? There’s  absolutely  no way to leave this place other than the harbor. And if I know Kane the way that  I think  I do, he’ll  simply  inquire for information there and that would be it.

I can’t help but smile at the thought of how life is on Octavia as a whole. It’s much different from the capital and it’s strange but you would think otherwise.  After all, the capital should be the grandest and most spectacular city within the whole kingdom and yet, the island of Octavia is  simply  amazing. It’s hard to put exactly into words but there’s  just  a beauty about it.

An island surrounded by a natural half-moon crater to form a first line of defense.  I wonder  how such a formation could have been possible in the first place.  I wonder  exactly how nature was able to create such a grand formation on it's own without the help of man.

To this day, high scholars cannot explain how islands came to be to begin with.  Islands do not float and thus cannot be forms of land that  simply  detached from the mainland and floated away  . But they must have come from somewhere. Large formations of land can't  possibly  have appeared  just  like that. There has to be an explanation of how they came to be somewhere.

As of right now, the only thing that scholars can work with are maps. From what we can tell from old maps and then compare them with the newer ones. We can see that there are some islands that  simply  did not exist in the old one. Those islands were  just  not there five hundred years ago but they must have come from somewhere.

I rise up to my feet and make my way back towards the grand wall.  I  carefully  go through the cave like entrance and  carefully  replace the vines to cover the entrance once I enter the garden.  That was one thing I  just  could not tell Kane or any other for the fear that it would get sealed and I could never go back to that calm and silent beach. It’s our hide away and I don’t want to lose that but no one  really  frets about it though so I guess it does not matter in a way.

I make my way through the garden and I can’t help but notice how quiet it is today. Considering how busy it is during the day, it’s odd to find so little people within the garden.  I wonder  if  maybe  the Islanders might have some sacred tradition for today or something. It could be possible since there are so much that I still do not know about them.

Anyhow, as I enter the castle, I  quickly  see that it's rather busy and now I'm wondering if there's something wrong.  Maybe  someone did notice my absence and Kane sent out a search for me. But considering how no one seems to be too busy to even notice me, it's  probably  not that either. Not that it bothers me but it does feel strange to see the maids and servants be all frantic this morning. Especially since I've never seen them behave this way during my stay here. Everyone is usually so laid back.

It has to be some sort of event or something. I can't think of any other reason why everyone would be so busy. Can't say that I mind since I can get away with my disappearance act without cinch. After all, I didn't tell anyone where I had went last night. I'd  probably  be so dead if someone would find out.

I  quickly  set the thought aside as I climb up the stairs of the tower of Joy. I climb them two steps at a time and waste no time entering the quarter.

After I closed the door, I scan the large living quarters and much to my joy it's completely empty. Which  is kind of  odd, I would have at least thought Dormer would have been here waiting but he's not here. He must also be busy with something but I won't complain about this struck of luck.

“Where have you been?”

Risa’s sharp and yet sweet voice kills the silence of the room as she comes out of my bedroom with her hands on her hips. It's like she's trying to scold me for my disappearance act and I can't help but find it sweet. I could get used to that.

“I was starting to worry.”  She adds and I can’t tell if she  was indeed  worried or  just  saying it for the sake of it since I’m guessing that she  probably  covered my ass for my absence.

For one thing, Risa doesn't look like the worrying type. And a second thing, if she had  been worried  she would have alerted my absence to someone. Of which she did not do but I'll take that. It's fun.

“Sorry about that, I decided to do some stargazing last night.” I answer as I walk up to her and I have to control the urge to kiss her as I choose to enter the room instead.

“You need to be more careful.” She replies back, following me  closely  before pushing me down on a chair near the dresser.

“I’m fine.” I  quickly  protest as she starts brushing my hair.

I adore Risa, I love her. But, I don’t want to see Risa have to serve me for every little thing. In my eyes she’s not a servant and I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone to brush my hair or help me get dress. By all means, she's my lady. I should be the one taking care of her and I will. Risa being a maid is something that will change.

“Yes your fine, now sit down.” She replies back and pushes me back down onto the chair in her own protest.

I do hope that Risa is not angry with me for my disappearing act. I  just  needed to be on my own for a bit but I don’t think that she’s angry. Her tone is still gentle as always.  She  just  seems to be in a bit of a hurry of which makes sense considering how all the other maids and servants are on a frenzy  . Risa must have a huge pile of work that needs to  be done .

“Would you stargaze with me sometimes?” I ask before looking over my shoulder to meet her gaze.

“You are trouble.”  She replies back in a somewhat stern tone as we stare at each other for a bit before a soft smile forms on her lips as she responds, “And yes . I would stargaze with you. Now stay still.”

“My hair is fine as it is.” I tell her as I face back forward  in order to  allow Risa to work at ease.

It doesn't matter if I protest, Risa will have her way either way so  I might  as well  just  give in.  I don't think  I'll be able to talk myself out of this one that's for sure.

“Your hair is getting long. A bit too long to let loose now so stay still for a bit will you.” She says as she picks a few strands of hair and starts braiding them together.

She starts by picking a few strand of hair while leaving a few to frame my face. Once she's content with the framing, she starts braiding the few strand she took. Adding a new strand each time she braids until she passes my ear and  just  finishes the braid right at the end.

Risa secures the first braid and then turns her focus on the other side. She picks a few strands and keeps some loose strands to frame my other side. She braids the same thing as the other and once she's done, she joins both braids and ties them together.  Once both braids are secure she adds a silver metal bead to create a finishing touch and undoes the loose hanging braids, allowing everything to blend together  perfectly.

Most Islanders who have long hair just simply wears it in a half updo and that’s it. It’s rare to see one wearing braids but then again the ones I did see held a higher status. I guess braiding your own hair without the help of a servant might be a problem. Makes sense in a way since I can't picture myself braiding…

“Is there ever a chance that you might love me?” I dare ask knowing full well that I’m  probably  going to face certain opposition  in the near future.

I know that I shouldn’t even ask Risa such a thing. When it comes to social standings, I know that she  just  doesn’t cut it. Risa is  just  not what you’d expect for a future queen but  honestly  I don’t care. I mean, why should it bother that Risa is from a lower class family? It’s not something that should matter when it comes to a great queen.

“Only if you love me.” She replies back before pressing her lips onto my cheek and that's all I needed to know.

I love Risa, I  simply  adore her and if she loves me back then what more could I ask for? She will be my lady and I'll make sure of that.

“That would be hard not to do.” I admit as she walks towards my dresser and takes out some clothes and lays them out onto my bed. “You’re my lady.” I add and a soft smile forms on her lips.

“You should get dressed.” She tells me and I must say,  I wonder  what the rush is  all of  a sudden. She’s been in a hurry since I came back up to the tower. You’d think something grand is coming. “I’ll be in the mess hall.” She further adds before walking away.

Oh well…

Can’t  really  blame Risa. After all, she does have other things that she must do. I can’t expect her to stay with me  just  because I want to. I wish she could have stayed  just  a bit longer but I’ll get other chances for some alone time with Risa.

I walk over to my bed as I listen to Risa’s footsteps followed by the sound of the door open and close. I can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about.  Maybe  Sugo is back and that’s why everyone is gone on a complete frenzy. It would make sense; he’s been gone for so long.

Risa’s choice for clothes is not bad.  A teal under coat with loose fitting sleeves decorated with silver brocades combined with a dark green tunic embellished with silver claps and black brocade.  To finish the style, Risa decided to pair the upper look with simple white trousers and knee high brown boots. It’s simple and clean, exactly how I like it.

I’ve never been very fond of expensive jewelleries or of fancy clothing styles. I don’t feel like I should waste so much money on appearance  just  because of my status.  In the end, it won’t make much of a difference if I flaunt out my wealth  just  for show and my people decide to butcher me due to starvation.

I would love to see Risa in a beautiful dress though, I know she’d look  absolutely  stunning but that will be a thought for another time. I still have much to overcome before I can even dare to make the move to make her my lady  officially  to the realm. But I’m pretty certain that my people will love her.

I start removing my dirty clothes, discarding them onto the vacant chair near the dresser and waste no time putting on the clean trousers that Risa chose for me when  suddenly  I hear the door open and  slowly  close again with a gentle tud.

“Did you forget something?” I ask as I put on the rich leather boots over the white trousers.

“Nobuchika.”

The voice that responded wasn’t Risa’s sweet voice but it sent chills down my spine. A mix of emotions followed but I can’t turn around to face him. A sense of joy is there, I’m happy that he’s here but at the same time anger is filling me up. Of all time, why is he here?

“My son.”  He adds as I pull the teal under coat over my head, tucking it inside of my trousers before turning to face the man I thought I knew  . The man who lied to me all my life and kept me locked up from the world in fear that I would die. Like he was afraid of not having an heir when he could have  simply  remarried  in order to  fix that problem.

“Why are you here?” I ask, not bothering to put in much emotion in my tone as I look away and continue dressing myself as if he’s not even there.

“Does a father need a reason for wanting to see his child?” He replies in a calm tone like nothing ever happened.

“I guess not…” I mutter back not like I can say any different. As my father, he does have a right to see me whenever he desires. There’s nothing I can say to that but it’s the way he said it. He doesn’t even seem a bit concern about me. He didn’t even bother to inquire if I was alright.

“You wear your hair like a real Islander now.” He states, the first to kill the long awkward silence that filled the room as I put on the tunic over the teal shirt.

It doesn’t surprise me that my hair was the first thing he pointed out. After all, I know how much he doesn’t like the fashion. I’ve even heard him call it a barbaric style once but to be honest I actually like it. I don’t know why but I do and there’s nothing that my father can say or do to make me change my mind about it.

“Well, why shouldn’t I? I’m in the Stone Islands.”  I  quickly  respond with little interest as I fasten the silver claps together of the tunic and I must say that I do indeed look good . It’s nice and simple, the brocades help to make the tunic and under coat seem much more elegant. The tunic is also quite form fitting which makes it quite comfortable.

“It's important to remember where you come from. I'm not sure your mother would like these new styles.” He responds and that  just  helps to further fuel the ever growing anger deep within me.

“My mother is not from the capital or the country in general.” I spite back and add, “She’s not even human.”

I understand that there are things that I did not need to know.  I was a child and politics are no place for children and I  sincerely  understand that but I had every right to know about my mother  . I had the right to know who and what my mother was. I shouldn’t have learned the truth the way that I did. It  just  wasn’t fair.

“No she’s not.” He admits but it doesn’t make me feel any better. He should have told me a long time ago.

I understand why he kept my grandfather’s true nature a secret from me but as I grew older with a better reasoning, he should have told me . As for my mother, that was different. She never did anything wrong for being what she was. I would have understood even as a child.

Everything that I’ve learned since my abduction, I should have learned them  directly  from my father and not from someone that I  barely  knew.

“Why do you care about what I decide to do anyway?” I ask. “You’ve lied to me in my face all my life so whatever you have to say now  really  does not mean much.” I add as I turn to face him  in order to  see his expression but it hasn’t changed. He doesn’t seem angry about my comments and I don’t know why but that bothers me. I’d like to blow his fuse.

“Everything I’ve done was for your well-being. I’ve always had your best interest at heart, always.” He states and I  just  want to laugh at his comment. It  just  feels like an excuse  in order to  justify for his bad parenting. At this point, knowing everything that I know now, he should have remarried.  Maybe  his new wife would have been better at raising children than he was.

“Why did you come here?” I ask and I  seriously  doubt it that he came to see me. There’s more to his visit than this and now it explains why so many are on a frenzy this morning.  It was because of his arrival but if he’s here, that must mean that Sugo is back and that’s a piece of information that can bring me comfort. Besides, Dormer is here and he’s been more of a father to me than my own as ever been.

“I came because I-”

“Oh, wait. I  just  realized, I don't care.”  I  suddenly  cut him off in an uninterested tone and that might have rubbed him the wrong way as the look in his eyes  suddenly  changed.

“Nobuchika.” He  sharply  respond to my rudeness in a more stern tone. Not like it matters in the slightest to me.

“Father.” I respond back with a same uninterested tone, never breaking eye contact with my old man as if we're in a face off.

“Now you’re being rude.” He states and I must control myself from showing my satisfaction. I sure do hope so that I’m being rude and I do hope that it angers him. It’s exactly what he deserves, exactly what I desire.

“And you can play your fake  fatherly  act somewhere else.” I reply back as I walk up to my old man. “Or better yet, to someone who actually cares about what you have to say.” I  coldly  add before walking past him and making my way out of the tower of Joy.

Leaving my father behind without a care in the world actually felt good but I can’t help but feel somewhat guilty for being so rude. It’s not something I would ever had dared to do and I know it was wrong but it  just  felt so good. I don’t feel sorry and I do hope it hurt him that his only son didn’t care much about him.

I climb down the steps when suddenly I feel the ground starting to shake as I reached the bottom only to find the chandeliers swinging in the hall. The trembling continued for a few more minutes and then just as it began it suddenly stopped.

I must say that was rather strange. What was that sudden tremor  just  now? It doesn't seem to have caused any damage and no one seems to  be bothered by  it so I guess it must be nothing.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Sugo**

“God damn it Murray!”

It's too early for these kinds of shenanigans...

You’d think a grown ass man would have matured by now... At this point, I’m starting to think that perhaps it might be an expectation simply too high for Murray. At the age of forty three, if he hasn’t matured by now I don’t think he ever will. I could swear that the older he gets, he just seems to be getting worse with each year.

Every damn time we get a tremor on the island, Murray always feels the need to scream like a little girl. He’s not scared or anything by the sudden shaking. Actually, he seems to enjoy the spontaneous trembling. And if I didn’t know any better, I'd say he seems to find an amusement out of pitching a loud ass scream just to annoy anyone in his surroundings. Needless to say, it works every damn time.

On the bright side, at least the prince wasn’t here to witness one of Murray’s childish antics. And yet again, does it really matter at this point? Knowing Murray, the prince has probably already witnessed plenty of Murray’s stupidity by now.

Now thinking about that, I’m not sure if that fact should worry me or not. On one side, it could be bad and on another part it could be good. Either way, I think I’m fucked.

“Sugo! You’re back!”

The sudden voice of the prince snaps me out of my thoughts and I must say that I almost did not recognize him. The prince's appearance has changed a lot and I get the feeling that he’s trying to imitate the Islanders’ style. Politic wise, it’s a plus for his social standings on the island but he has to be careful not to lose his identity. I don’t think the king will be too pleased with these changes.

“Yes, I’m back.” I reply back as he takes a seat next to Dormer as the larger man ruffles the prince’s hair.

One by one, I watch my men walk out of the mess hall after they finished their morning meal. I start debating with myself as to what I should do next. A lot has happened since I was away to the capital. Some small matters and other more pressing ones occurred. Although they are in different degrees in a way, they’re still just small fries. It’s deciding which one I should tackle first is the main question.

As for what regards the prince and his so called adventures are not something that I can ignore but to be honest I honestly don’t care. He fancies a girl, so what. I’d be worried if the prince did not have any interest in women at his age. Or he could have been on the other spectrum but either way he’s at that age now. On the bright side, it’s not a dilemma with the merman of which I am surprise. I was certain that Kougami would have tried something during my absence. By all means, I was ready for him.

Anyway, sexual intimacy out of wedlock is not something that I want to encourage on my islands. And yeah, the laws on the island is to abstain from such acts but lets be honest here. There isn't a single person that actually obeys that law. If I were to hang everyone who did commit any acts of sexual intimacy out of wedlock, I wouldn’t have any people to rule.

If I choose to forbid the prince of seeing Dormer’s daughter, it could be more troublesome than allowing the prince to see her. After all, humans always want what they can’t have. It’s simply human nature and the prince will try to see her even against my decree. And by how stubborn the prince is, he’ll success and that will most likely end up with other problems. Problems that I would very like to avoid if possible.

“I hear you’ve been rather busy.” I voice out once my men have left the mess hall. All except Kane, Murray and Dormer of which does not matter much considering how the prince has made them part of his small council. If he has a problem with it, then he should have thought twice before naming them for that position. Once named, these men have the right to know everything that goes on with his persona. Kings do not have the luxury of privacy.

“I-”

“I don’t care what you do. Just do it respectfully.” I quickly choose to say as I cut him off.

Being harsh and severe with the prince is not my intention. I’m not here to lecture the boy, I’m not his father and nor am I trying to be. But, it’s my duty to guide him into adulthood at the best of my abilities and to help him make the right decisions. I can’t expect that he’ll do everything right, he’s young and still learning. He’s bound to make mistakes but I can’t lock him up in order to prevent such things from happening.

The prince craves freedom and he is entitled to have it. I can’t allow myself to take that piece away from him. Especially now, since he’s finally gotten a taste of it. He can only learn and grow with freedom to expand his horizon and vision. He will make mistakes and it will be my job to do damage control. I’m just hoping they won’t be too grand.

“Okay.” The prince replies back in agreement in a quite cheerful mood. At least, we've reached an understanding without protest.

I sense a change in maturity in his demeanor. In my absence, the prince has changed both physically and mentally. I can tell by his expression that his agreement is genuine and I hope it stays that way. So far, he has a good head on his shoulders but Risa might have a lot to do with it. Whether anyone likes to admit it or not, that girl has her claws in him and that can be a good thing just like it can be a bad thing.

“Or you can do the nighttime adventures-”

“Murray what is wrong with you? Can you not see that we are trying to educate the prince in a mature fashion?” Kane interrupts Murray in all haste, followed by a slap behind the bald man’s head. “Repeat after me. We do not encourage sexual intimacy outside the wedlock.” Kane adds.

“Okay, okay...” Murray agrees as he motions his hands up in pure innocence before turning his gaze towards the prince. His facial expression stern and serious as he spoke, “Your grace, keep your snake inside the pants.”

“That’s bloody unhelpful.” Kane mutters in discouragement.

The prince sure is finding Murray’s antics amusing this morning and I think it might be his fuel to further his shenanigans. Anyhow, the carefree mood can only help to deal with the hard times that will be coming in the near future. We might as well just enjoy it while most still have their sense of humour. Once war breaks out, there won’t be much care free behaviors around.

War changes people and sometimes it’s not always for the better. So many are going to die… So many innocents are going to perish in this game for power…

“Your grace.” I voice out as I stand to give a light bow to the King as he enters the mess hall and I feel the atmosphere completely change as I retake my seat.

For starters the king does not seem to be in a good mood and neither is the prince. Of which is odd considering he was in a pleasant mood only a few seconds ago. However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the reason could be.

God damn it! I advised the king several times on the voyage not to approach the prince right away. He would certainly get bitten if he would and I’ll assume that he got more than a bite.

“What?” The prince ask as father and son’s gazes are locked onto each other in a standoff with both side not having any intention of backing down.

“Don’t give me that attitude.” The king replies back in a stern tone as if he thinks that will be enough to allow him some sort of authority over his son. I must say, it’s a little too late for that.

The king has neglected his duty as a father for far too long. Instead of raising his son himself, he used others to do it for him. Every time the prince misbehaved or did anything wrong, the king wasn’t one to scold the child. Any time the boy became ill or injured himself, it wasn’t his father who nursed him back to health.

True to the eyes of the prince, such things could only seem normal. After all, he is the son of the king but after all the hardships the prince has gone through on his own in the last few months. The prince learned something quite vital much to the king’s dismay. The prince has by now realized that he doesn’t need his father in order to survive and that can be a problem as far as the king is concerned.

This issue sure won’t get fixed any time soon.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you all of a sudden but your newfound attitude, you’ll put it aside. We have important matters to discuss and this is not the time to behave like a child.” The king further lectures his son as I join my hands together, using them to cover the lower portion of my face in order to keep my poker face.

I can sense it; this is going to end in a horrible sort of way. The king is further digging his own grave… What a fucking headache.

“Yes, of course.” The prince carelessly responds back. His tone not carrying much care as he turns away from his father's gaze.

“With the upcoming war. It’s important that everyone plays their part for the good of the realm.” The king starts explaining as he walks up to my table and takes a seat next to me. “As will you.” He adds, turning his gaze onto his son who has now looked up to meet his father’s stern gaze.

“What do you mean?” The prince ask in slight confusion.

I can just smell what’s coming and this is so going to end bad. I strictly advised the king not to go there, not yet at least.

“You will marry lord Gainsborough’s eldest granddaughter, Mika Shimotsuki.” The king orders and just then you could have sworn that someone just smacked the prince right in the face.

True that it is currently unknown to the king that his son already fancies another but this was not the time to bring this up. Who is the king to decide who will his son marry to begin with? The king for one did what he wanted and married his queen and his son knows this.

The earlier fears I had, I can feel them approaching is a faster pace. God! Why couldn't the king just keep his Godamn mouth shut about the arranged marriage issue? This is simply not the time. Even Kane is cringing in his seat and Murray for once has grown dead silent.

“I will not.” The prince protest sharply and yet remained calm. More than I would have though but I can tell that he’s boiling. He’s trying to remain calm and I must give him credits for now blowing up right now.

“The girl is the heir to the reach. Lord Sugo has the sea secured, Lord Umber has the North secured and both of them have formed an alliance to strengthen the crown’s position. And you my son will secure the East by marrying the heir of to the Reach. Once that's done, it will only leave the West standing alone and since they will be alone, it will reduce the chances of an uprising and keep them at bay.” The king explains and I wish he would leave me out of it.

I did form an alliance with Lord Umber but it’s not exactly for the reason the king believes it to be. The only reason why this alliance was created was due to the respect between the Islanders and the Umbers. It’s something that was being brewed for some time but kept being put off. It has nothing to do with the king what so ever.

“No, I won't do it.” The prince further protests.

“The girl is here and you will court her and if all goes well, the wedding will occur by the New Year.” The king continues with his orders, completely ignoring his son’s protest altogether.

“I’m not some pawn on a chest board to use for your political endeavors-”

“You’re my son and you’ll do as I command!” The king barks back, slamming his fist onto the table causing the prince to slightly jump at his father’s sudden behavior and tone.

“Father, don’t ask me to do this, please.” The prince begs as he tries to keep his tone under control with much success.

“You’ll marry Mika Shimotsuki and that’s final.” The king responds back.

“I hate you! I hope you die a most agonizing death!” The prince snaps as he gets up and storms out of the mess hall.

I just want to sight at the royal fuck up… The moment the king started spewing his words, I knew this was going to happen.

The moment Kane informed me about the situation concerning the prince. I knew our cards needed to be played right otherwise we would certainly feel the backlash.

I knew about the king's intention the moment I left the mainland and after learning about the prince, I urged the king to wait. To be honest, I was hoping to deviate the king's decision in the prince's favour. I know I would have succeeded too if only I had been given the time to do so.

Anyway, this is certainly not the way I wanted the prince to learn about an arranged marriage. Now this will need a massive damage control in order to fix this shit the king just created. And just when things had been going so well with the prince... What a setback...

“I think that went very well.” Murray voices out, killing the awkward silent that has now filled the room.

“Murray this is not the time.” Kane tiredly protest back.

Sometimes watching those two go at it, they remind me of a married couple. If I didn't know any better, I'd believe them to be but they have a great dynamic together. As much as they are opposites, Kane and Murray do make a good team.

“War was easier than raising a son…” The king comments and I have to hold my tongue on that one just then.

War is not easier than raising a son. I know it’s simply a figure of speech but the prince is a good kid in general. You can make him understand and make him see things your point of view if only you give him the time. You have to explain and show him the good and the bad side of every decision and make him evaluate which outcome is better. That's how any child learns. They certainly don't learn a thing by having a ton of shit shoved down their throat.

Is forcing the prince to marry a noble man’s granddaughter the better choice? As how I see it… No. Yes it might secure the Reach for some time but it’s not exactly a certain thing in the long run. And besides, what good does the Reach give us if we can’t control the prince…?

There are other ways for the crown to secure the Reach under their rule. A royal marriage isn’t necessarily the only option or the best one either.

A royal marriage does sound like an ideal idea but if we proceed with it then the Reach loses their heir. Mika can’t be at two places at the same time. It just can’t be done and thus someone else will be named Lord of the Reach and Warden of the East and who knows who that will be. Our best bet is to discard this idea of marriage. It simply won’t work in our favour no matter how we look at it.

“You don’t have a daughter.” Dormer replies back to the king and now that I can agree on.

Girls are without a doubt more work than boys when it comes to parenting. You don’t have to protect a son in the same way you protect a girl. There’s much less worries having a son than a daughter but each has their own merits in their own way.

“Have no fear your grace, I’ve got this covered.” Murray blurts out as he bolts up to his feet catching the king’s attention. “This calls for a paddling.” He adds before walking out of the room in all haste as we continue to hear him spurt out nonsense in the hall.

“Please excuse me. My lord, your grace.” Kane adds in return as he also rises to his feet, giving each of us a light bow before walking out of the mess hall in a slight hurry. “All paddles are to remain in the rowing boats, Murray.” I hear Kane speak up in the hall and to be honest I don’t even want to know what kind of shenanigans Murray will come up with next.

He's either going to do something completely crazy and Kane will have to get him out of whatever shit he got himself to. Or, he just needed an excuse to get out of the mess hall. And Kane saw his own opportunity to leave discreetly. Needless to say, I envy them.

“This will be a long war…” I voice out as I rub my face as if maybe the fatigue will somehow just vanish away. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

“That man better not touch a hair on my boy’s head.” The king barks back as if he truly believes that one of my men would actually try to harm the prince. Some of them may be dimwitted to some degree but they’re not stupid to that point.

Actually, knowing how my men are in all sense of their nature. They would be more likely to drag the prince in a tavern and celebrate his achievements in pissing off the king. They won’t care that he was being rude to his father. By all means, they’ll actually support it. After all, it’s no secret that the Islanders don’t have much love for the crown, especially the king. If they could have it their way, the king would have been disposed of already and immediately replaced with the prince.

To the Islanders, in their eyes, the prince is the king.

“Murray won’t dare harm your son, your grace. He might be infamous for being a hot head but more than half of the time he’s a small boy trapped in a grown man’s body.” I reply back with not much effort in my tone. The whole ordeal is simply just exhausting. This whole fiasco has just created more work for me, all thanks to the king’s own impatience.

Everything would have been much simpler if only the king had remained silent. It would have been much better if he would have waited at least a day before seeing his son. That way, I could have at least prepared him for this shit.

“Is marrying the Shimotsuki girl your final decision, your grace?” I ask as I turn my gaze onto the king who has now calmed down.

“You know as well as I do that the Reach must be secured at all cost.” He answers and that I can agree but there are other ways in doing that.

To be honest, I’ve seen the Shimotsuki girl first and I'm not feeling it for her. She might look like a queen and have a high intelligence but she would still make a terrible queen.

I’m not even convinced that she would make a great lady of the Reach to begin with nor would she make a good wardeness either. She’s just a disaster waiting to happen. It might be awful to say but it would do the realm a favour if she would somehow drop and die in a corner somewhere.

“This is a fact, your grace. Your son won’t marry the Shimotsuki girl, even if you were to threaten his heritance. He simply won’t do it.” I state the rather obvious truth in case he still has not noticed already. “Your son has grown more independent during his stay here. He’s also discovering his own persona and his own strength and he will put up a fight in order to get what he wants.” I add.

If the king thinks for one second that all his son needs is a good night sleep to mull over the thought, he’s sadly mistaken. The prince has already made his decision and once he realizes that he has the Islanders’ support. That’s all he’ll need to carry on to the next step against his father’s will. And to be honest, I’d by far prefer Risa as a future queen than the Shimotsuki girl any day. At least Risa has what it takes to be queen and the added bonus, she can manipulate the prince if need be.

As they say, you might be the king but watch the queen conquer.

“My lord, I will not submit to a spoiled child’s tantrums over the lives of millions. If the Reach is not secured, we could be looking at a large scale famine.” The kings replies back firmly. Obviously he still has the full intention of pursuing this wedding but at this point he should just put it to rest.

This wedding in specifics will not happen. It just won't, the prince will figure a way to slither himself out of it and I can't blame him. I'd do the same in order to prevent myself from being married to that girl. If Alana had been only a little like the Shimotsuki girl, I wouldn't have agreed to marry her.

“Your grace, you know as much as I do that the Reach will never rebel against the crown. They need the crown as much as the crown needs them.” I shoot back. “Once old man Gainsborough dies, his name will be no more. Everything will go to his eldest granddaughter but politically, she can’t rule the reach until she comes of age.” I further add to this idiotic topic.

Joining both the crown house and that of the high house of the Reach, it wouldn't do much. There wouldn't be any gains in any way. The marriage would simply be for show more than anything. In times of needs, we don’t need an alliance just for show. We need one that can have a backbone when the time is needed.

“With the old man Gainsborough’s heir right here, the Reach would not dare betray the crown. If they do I’ll kill the girl myself. That way, we’ll lose absolutely nothing.” I say without a care in the world. If it ever comes to that, I will end that girl’s life by my own two hands without any regrets.

“No need to use violence on a woman.” The king quickly replies with distaste at my comment.

“What’s the difference between using violence on a man or a women, your grace?” I ask and continue, “Women can be just as treacherous as men. The only thing is that most women are better at it than men.”

News have often reached my ears on the high sea. Of how some noble ladies married into more prestigious houses only for their lord husbands to mysteriously die afterwards. It’s truly not that uncommon for women to murder their husbands in order to gain power for themselves. After all, it makes sense if you stop and think about it.

These noble ladies were probably in the same scenario as the prince. They were forced into a marriage arranged by their fathers. They probably already loved another but they were bound to another but that's where it starts.

Some of these ladies eventually submitted to their lord husbands and lived out their new life exactly how they should. While others had no intentions of doing so and their lord husband payed the price with their life.

These women deliberately murdered their arranged husband in order to become a widow. They mourned a year like a good wife should do and then they remarry the one they initially loved. It’s really not that uncommon and it’s quite smart when you stop and think about it.

In my case, hopefully my wife won't be one of them...

“Lets say that you convince your son to marry the Shimotsuki girl. They consummate the marriage and all is great. She starts bringing little princes and princesses into the world and then you pass away and your son becomes king for a while. Maybe fifteen years of peaceful ruling and then mysteriously he dies of a sickness. And the Shimotsuki girl that you were so afraid would rebel against the crown is responsible for your son’s death and takes over the whole country using her eldest son to do so.” I state the rather obvious. By all means, the king should have thought about this scenario a long time ago.

I watch the king from the corner of my eye as I try to study his expression. He’s silent and deeply in thought about the situation. By my guesses, I’d say that the king probably did not even think about such a scenario even happening in the first place. When you stop and think about it you realize exactly how risky it is to go through with this plan.

No noble ladies would ever pass up the chance to become queen. They all want to become queen but not for the right reason. Being queen is a great responsibility and not all noble ladies have what it takes to overcome the hardships that may arise when ruling. Being queen, there are certain things expected out of her grace.

“The way I see it, your grace. I’d say allow your son to pick a lady that he fancies. After all, he knows his father did the same and it had absolutely nothing to do with duty so your attempt to have him marry out of duty only sounded hypocritical on your part.” I suggest while also stating a straight fact. If the king married his wife out of love then why can't his son? It's only fair after all.

“At least make sure she’s of noble birth.” The king eventually answers after a bit of silence and I just want to roll my eyes at his answer.

Seriously!?

Fucking seriously!?

He’s more concern that his future daughter ought to be noble than actually being a benefactor to the war effort. The Shimotsuki girl is of no benefactor to the war what so ever. She already here to begin with so no need to arrange a marriage to her in order to keep the Reach in line. What we need is a woman with a good head on her shoulders who can control the prince if need be.

“Your grace, your son already fancies a lady if you haven’t been able to tell by his behavior. She’s the one he wants and there’s nothing any of us can do about it but I will tell you this. This one has her claws in your son and she knows how to manipulate him into doing what we want him to do.” I inform the king of which catches his curiosity and interest.

“How is this better than Gainsborough’s granddaughter, my lord? That does not bring much comfort to me.” He replies back not much of a surprise in the slightest.

I don't know what it is with the Shimotsuki girl but I do hope the king gets her name off his tongue. There are far better candidates for the prince to marry. The Shimotsuki girl is certainly not one of them by far.

“With this war coming along, if we can’t control the prince in dire times then what good will all of our sacrifices be?” I inquire back. “I assure you, your grace. This one can be trusted. I give you my word.” I add, catching Dormer’s gaze. I had almost forgotten that the giant was still in the room with us.

The giant gets up from his seat in silence and walks out of the mess hall without a single word. To be honest, I can’t tell if he’s pleased or fuming that I’m more than willing to use his daughter in this political endeavor. I understand that Risa is his daughter and only child but she is now becoming a valuable piece in this game. It’s a little too late to back out now.

“Very well then… My son’s happiness is important to me. I want him to grow old and happy, that’s all I ever wanted.” The king finally submits much to my relief. With this approval, I can now start playing this game to a different degree. “As for the Shimotsuki girl, keep her comfortable and I want her to be treated with kindness and respect. If she is to be the ruler of the reach one day, I want her to hold the crown in high regards.” The king instructs. Not like he needed to.

“We don’t hurt little girls on the Stone Islands, unless they commit a terrible crime of course.” I answer back.

Yes I would gladly kill a woman but only if she committed a crime. If she killed her husband due to him being abusive towards her or her children then that would be a whole different story. The man then got exactly what he deserved and no harm will befall the woman. No man should ever lay a hand on a woman unless she committed a terrible crime that is.

“There isn’t a place in this world that they don’t hurt little girls.” The king replies back and I wonder if this is a reference to his wife. We all know that she did not die due to a sickness, she was poisoned. We all know that the queen was murdered by our unknown enemy.

“No man shall strike his wife nor any woman. Any man caught and found guilty of such a heinous act will be tied to the stake and will receive forty lashes for their crimes. Those are the laws of the Stone Islands, laws that were made long before I ever became liege lord and I plan on keeping them alive.” I explain the law of my people much to the king’s disapproval.

Of all people, the king should know by now that certain things can only be solved with violence. He can stare at me with those disapproving eyes of his but those are the facts. Sometimes diplomatic negotiations are just not going to cut it.

“Very well then. I leave it to you.” He finally says before getting up and leaves the mess hall to my lonesome self. Now that’s what I’d call something that went rather well and hopefully the king won’t try to patch things up with his son just yet. Well, unless he wants to get his throat ripped open that is.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Ginoza**

I hate him!

To think I was feeling guilty about the way I had spoken to my father earlier. I should have been far worst if I had known he would have done something like that to me. He may not have said it out loud, not that he needed to. The way that he said made his intentions quite clear. I’m nothing more than a pawn on his board in his little game.

I refuse to be reduced to a pawn. I refuse to sit down, listen and obey like a mindless doll. I refuse and I will not reduce myself so lowly. If being a submissive idiot is what is needed of a prince in my father’s eyes then he can keep it. I’ll cut my own path without his help or blessings. Even if I have to do it myself, I’ll do whatever it takes to walk my own path and not the one my father has already decided for me.

I slow down my pace in the empty hall as I come closer towards the entrance of the Tower of Joy. Everything has grown so quiet as I gaze outside a nearby window. I don’t know why the silence that has now consumed my surroundings feels somewhat dark and ominous. Perhaps it’s just all within my mind and everything is nothing more than exaggeration in my head. After all, it’s not unusual for the island to be quiet with only the sound of the ocean echoing in the air.

There’s never been much activity on this side of the castle anyhow. It’s always relatively calm and quiet and only on rare occasions am I able to hear some commotion. Generally, the Tower of Joy is rather secluded from everything and I have to wonder if maybe choosing this tower in particular as my residence might have been the main reason why. Everyone keeps on saying that I’m much too important to be allowed to mingle with anyone who is lowborn. It would be so disastrous for me to be tainted by a peasant…

And then again…

Sugo’s reasoning to keep me on the more isolated part of the island does make sense when Kane had explained it to me a while ago. The only time I was exposed to a great amount of noise was during the sudden tremor that caused the chandeliers to swing rather violently. But, everything has long since returned back to normal as the chandeliers overhead are hanging motionless. Almost as if nothing has happened but to be honest that sudden tremor was something I had never experienced before. The Islanders didn’t bat an eye about it so I guess it wasn’t anything to be concerned about but it was rather frightening to say the least.

Heavy footsteps in the distance catch my ear but I don’t bother to look away from the island’s scenery. Those footsteps can only belong to one man. Such steady and heavy steps are not very common in the world of men. Only giants could walk like that.

“I’m not in the mood for a lecture.” I voice out as I listen to the footsteps slow down and I can feel the giant standing next to me. I don’t have to look to know that his eyes are fixated on me, I can feel it. Those dark eyes, I can only imagine them to be stern and filled with disapproval towards my earlier behavior.

“I did not come here to give you one, little bird.” He replies back.

I seriously doubt it that he doesn’t have anything to say to me. It’s not like I didn’t notice the look in his eyes when I was being rude to my father back in the mess hall. It was wrong of me to do so but I won’t apologize for it. I don’t care that it was wrong on my part. My father got what he justly deserved.

“I’m not going to marry that girl.” I sharply state before Dormer can even come to that subject. If he’s not here to lecture me then he must have come here to try and coax me into the idea that my father is right. I don’t care if politically marrying the Shimotsuki girl is a wise move. I won’t do it. I’d rather die than go along with this plan.

“No one on this island expects that you will either.” Dormer tells me and that’s somewhat hard to believe. Unless the Islanders are truly rebels to the very core but would they deliberately go against my father in order to support me? “You know; I was there the day that you were born.” Dormer adds, peeking my curiosity as I remove my gaze off the scenery to meet his dark gaze.

“You were?” I inquire but it’s hard to believe that he would actually be there. It’s not like he’s related to my family in anyway so it wouldn’t really make much sense for someone like him to come out of his way to see my birth. Not like maester Aemon would have allowed him anyway.

“I had been summoned to the capital to answer as to why I abandoned my house and duty. I arrived early and your father was busy with some other affairs when your mother fell to the floor and began an early labor.” He explains, again something I didn’t know about my mother or me. “She was a month early, the grand maester feared for a miscarriage.” He adds.

Maester Aemon never told me I was born prematurely. All he ever told me about my birth was how grand the people celebrated in joy. I’m starting to believe that this was probably completely false as well like so many things I had once been led to believe. It’s not like the common people would celebrate the birth of a being that they will probably never meet. Or worst, celebrate the birth of a being that might probably cause them pain in the future. I’d be more willing to believe that they probably didn’t even give a damn about my birth. Probably nobody even gave a damn as they went on with their daily lives.

“My father wasn’t there when I was born?” I ask Dormer as I lean against the edge of the window, never breaking eye contact as I try to get a glimpse of the truth in his dark eyes. But like always, I can’t read the look in his eyes.

“Yes he was there to see you be born but during the laboring pain your mother went through, no he wasn’t but he arrived in all haste into the delivery room and made it just in time to see you come into this world.” He answers but does it really matter? Does it matter if my father saw me be born when he wasn’t there for my mother during all of the pain? How could he not have been there for her? My mother of all people…

“You were there.” I mutter as I push myself away from the window, taking a few steps into the hall before turning to face the giant who has by far been more of a father to me within only a month than my own father has in my whole lifetime.

“Yes because it was your mother’s wishes and I stayed by her side because I knew how hard it is for a woman to go through childbirth, having lost my wife not so long ago. No woman should ever have to be alone through that so I stayed.” He tells me and I guess Dormer has empathy for these kinds of moments. After all, he knows the harshness that childbirth can bring but he’s not obliged to feel that way since he’s a man but I have great respect for him for that very reason. He might be a ruthless killer on the battlefield but he’s a man of heart. More than some that I know. “After you were born you refused to cry, no matter how many times the grand maester tried to get you to cry you just remained silent with your eyes shut tight.”

“Was I sick?” I ask even though maester Aemon had told me that I had been born perfectly healthy. Considering all the lies I’ve been fed, that was probably another one of his many lies. It would explain why I’ve always been prone to sickness all my life.

“No, you were perfectly healthy but at the time it did cause some worries to both your parents. Because you see, a baby who does not cry at birth means that there’s something very wrong with the infant so it didn’t take long before gossip started circulating that the newborn prince would not live long. Your mother exhausted from childbirth was semi-awake and in distress, your father was pacing around non-stop, he just couldn’t stand still and you just laid motionless in your crib.” He explains and continues, “I looked down at you as you laid silently in that crib before I picked you up in my arms and just like that, you opened your eyes and you looked at me. I was the first person that you saw and the moment you laid eyes on my face, you started to cry.”

I’m trying to imagine that moment. I can only imagine how frightful seeing Dormer must have been for a newborn baby but the scar doesn’t reflect who the man is. He might look like a monster from the outside but he’s the complete opposite from the inside. Unless he needs to be a monster that is but sometimes I wonder if his ruthless act is nothing more than just an act. I wonder if Dormer is ever haunted by the remnants of the ones he has killed in the past.

“Sorry about that.” I apologize for no reason as I think about how Dormer must look like with a newborn baby in his arms and yet it seems too absurd to picture it considering his size.

Somehow, it’s hard to believe that he’s a father at time with how savage he can be on the battlefield. And yet, the look in his eyes right now as he gives me a smile all the while motioning his arms as if he`s holding a baby in his arms, I can’t help but give him one right back. I wonder if he misses it when Risa was nothing but a baby.

“You were a tiny baby. You only weighted a little over five pounds but your father was proud. You were his boy, his first born and he’ll love you until the day that he dies. Never forget that little bird.” Dormer tells me and I want to cringe at that as my smile fades away. Somehow, it feels rather hard to believe that my father loves me. I just feel like the only reason I was born was because he needed an heir. Not because he wanted a child to love.

“I’m not so sure about that…” I mutter back.

“Ask any father, ask any mother and they will all tell you the same. You never love anything in the world the way you love your first born child. It doesn't matter what they do or say, they are the most precious thing in the world.” Dormer tells me and I can believe that Risa is the most precious thing in the world to him but I’m not ready to say the same for my father. Not by the way he’s been with me throughout the years.

It angers me when I get people tell me that I have nothing to be angry about. That my life, my childhood was perfect because I’m a prince, the son of a mighty king. As if all that matters in the world is wealth. They all fail to see how lonely I’ve been. They refuse to understand how it feels like to wake up every morning and all you want is to die because your existence is nothing but a shadow. Even though I’ve always been surrounded by servants, they never saw me. I was there but at the same time I wasn’t there… There were times it would seem like my own father couldn’t even look at me. On so many occasions, he would go weeks without even talking to me as if I wasn’t even there. As if I didn’t even exist…

“I hate him.” I snap back as I feel my eyes starting to burn.

“You don’t hate him, little bird.” Dormer replies back as he kneels down on one knee and places his large hands on my shoulders.

“Not really…” I mutter back.

“Oh! Oh! And a bottle of rum!” Murray’s voice suddenly snaps me out of my trans as Dormers rises back up to his feet as Murray comes closer with a bottle completely full. “What did I miss?” He asks.

“A mature conversation.” Dormer answers back.

“And you forgot to invite me!” Murray exclaims with a tone rather a bit exaggerated almost as if he’s emotionally hurt. “You hurt my feelings Dormer.”

“Got something to add for the prince?” Dormer asks.

“Yes. Now listen up.” He starts as he wraps his arm around my shoulders all the while swinging that bottle in the air. “You get maester Rodrigue, you get your sweetheart and you get married in a secret ceremony.” He adds cooly only for Dormer to shake his head in disbelief.

“And that’s why we never invite you to mature conversations.” Dormer states and that I can agree on. Dormer does have his moments but he often misses the boat. He’s great when the occasion to get serious is called for though.

“Time for rum. How about it your grace?” He offers as he brings the bottle closer for me to accept.

“Give me some of that.” Dormer quickly voices out as he grabs the bottle out of Murray’s hands and just as he swiftly stole the bottle out of the bald man’s grasp, he tosses it outside through the window much to Murray’s dismay as he lets go of me and jolts to the window.

“Hey! Why’s the rum gone!?” He exclaims as he pokes half of his body out the window for a few seconds before getting back in and turns to Dormer with a hurt expression in his face, “Dormer! You killed the rum!”

“A well-deserved fate.” Dormer shoots back when all of a sudden everything starts to shake again but this time it feels much worse than before as I hear the chandeliers dancing over our heads when suddenly Dormer grabs my arms and yanks me forward as he backs away only to miss the chandelier that came crashing down only a few inches away as the shaking starts to calm down.

“Go to your tower, little bird.” Dormer orders as he lets go of me.

“And stay there until further notice.” Murray orders back, his tone no longer easy going like he was only moments ago as he takes hold of my arms and guides me to the stairs of the tower before he and Dormer bolted down the hall in all haste.

I look down at the fallen chandelier that is now a complete mess scattered in the hallway knowing how lucky I am. I was standing right there when it gave way… If it hadn’t been for Dormer, that would have been it for me. I seriously doubt it that I’d be conscious if that thing would have come crashing down on my head.

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 25.5-1**

**Sugo**

Chaotic events don’t seem to want to take a break. It’s always one thing right after the other and as much as I want to believe otherwise, these tremors can’t be a good sign. Two simultaneous quakes right after the other in a time span of hours between each other only speak of vile omen. Especially the last one we just had. Quite a few things fell to the floor and the ruckus outside the castle during the quake didn’t sound too good.

“My lord!” Kane calls out as he enters the mess hall with most composer as he tries to catch his breath without being too obvious.

“Go on.” I instruct.

“The quake caused damages to old infrastructures around the island and the aftershock only caused further more.” He reports.

It doesn’t surprise me, I knew those old infrastructures were in bad shape but they had not lost their usefulness. Not to mention, they held massive amount of history to my people. It was something that I wanted to salvage at all cost but I wasn’t counting on such a massive quake to hit Octavia either. So many of them were undergoing repairs to strengthen what had been damaged by age and years of neglect. I can only imagine the numbers of casualties I have on my hands right now due to this. At this hour, I know all the repair sites were active.

“Any casualties?” I ask as I sit down in my seat.

“Several children and elderlies, my lord.” Kane answers after a bit of delay as he searches for his words. “A stone wall of an old infrastructure fell down on them during the quake.” He adds.

The gods can take the elderlies, I’m fine with that. They’ve lived their lives but don’t take the children away. By all means, there’s nothing purer in this world than the children. Why when chaos engulfs, it’s always the children that must pay first?

“Any others?” I ask knowing full well that there are. There will always be more and when you think you’ve found them all and that everyone is safe. It’s only afterwards that you find more trapped under the rubble only to learn that they had not died during the incident. That they were alive but they were trapped. They couldn’t get out and no matter how loud they yelled, no one could hear them. They died, hoping someone would find them but no one did until they drew their last breath. The worst is for the survivors who must live knowing that these people died from starvation because no one could find them.

“Not that I’m aware of. Although, we’re left with many injured on our hands. Some might not live to see tomorrow.” Kane further informs me.

To be honest, I would have been surprised if I didn’t have any injured on my hands. It would be a miracle if many were not to draw their last breaths during the night. What saddens me the most, by the end of the death toll, most will be children and some elderlies. And the women… I don’t even want to think about the women…

“Status on the prince and the king?” I ask the dreaded question. If one of them got injured under my care or worst killed, I’ll be branded as a traitor that’s without a doubt. Even with my newly found alliance with the Umbers would not be able to save me from the backlash from the other Wardens.

“The king is well. As for the prince, he nearly got crushed by a chandelier that gave way.” Kane replies back and that’s not good.

“Was he injured?” I dare ask after a few minutes of silence, fearing for the worst answer.

“No. He is fine.” Kane quickly answers much to my relief. At least some good news amidst this tragedy that has befallen us.

“Good… And the future queen?” I further inquire.

“Also well and so is your wife.” Kane quickly responds and that’s good.

“Good. Then everything is good.” I say as I stand back up and pace a bit around as if somehow it will help calm my nerves down but it doesn’t work. I’m only hoping that my nervousness isn’t showing and that I’ll be able to hide my anxiety to my men. I can’t afford to look weak in times like this. I have to be the pillar that supports my people in dire time. I’m the one they’ll look to for reassurance and strength. I can’t fail now.

As for my wife, I don’t want her to think I can’t manage my own island when chaos hits. I certainly have large shoes to fill to her eyes. I can’t allow her to think that her husband is weak in cases of emergency. I have to show Alana whether her father is around or not, no danger will ever befall her.

“My lord, the quakes are originating from Maonia. The island has received greater damage than Octavia with hundreds dead and parts of the island destroyed.” Kane informs me and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I knew it was only a matter of time until that island would become a problem. “Sources tell me the water is hot and the mountain is boiling.” Kane adds.

I can’t help shake my head in disbelief. How many times I’ve sent a decree for the people Maonia to abandon the island. That it was only a matter of time until Mount Weather would awaken and cause chaos. Even Murray has voiced out time and time again how that island should be a no man’s land but those people just won’t listen. No matter what, they remain.

Maonia is an island that receives tremors almost of a daily basis. It’s quite famous for its natural hot springs and is basically a resort of the sort. They have no armies nor do they have any sort of forgeries or weapon making. The island itself is basically the most useless island of the Stone Islands but it is also one of the most beautiful. But, there’s always a price to pay for beauty and in this case, the price of beauty is death.

“Have some good men knock down the remaining old infrastructures on the island that can’t be repaired and solidified on short notice.” I order. “Clear the docks and close the gates.” I add as I look out the window to see the docks in the distance are in a complete frenzy. Once the mountain on Maonia fully wakes up, I don’t want to see what would happen if the castle gates remain open. For some reason, chaos always awakens beasts within people. Somehow chaos makes it a good reason to put aside your humanity for a few hours until everything cools down and then you get consumed by regret for the actions that you made.

“What of Maonia, my lord?” Kane asks, dragging me out of my thoughts.

He shouldn’t ask me that. He knows very well what of Maonia. I know he’s only doing his duty but I hate having to give out this order. It’s heartless and cruel but it has to be done. They’ve been warned for far too long. They’ve been given too many chances and each time they’ve refused my generous offers of relocation. There’s nothing more I can do for them at this time.

“Send word to have them abandon the island immediately for the other surrounding islands.” I instruct, knowing full well that most of the survivors will be too stubborn to flee while they still can.

The island of Maonia receives severe damages every year to the point that it cost my treasury a great abundance of gold to repair. The amounts of money I put into that island compared to how much it provides simply is not worth the upkeep. The only thing that makes it worth it is that it attracts so many people from the mainland during the hot seasons. Fortunately for me that the hot season is long gone so there’s less casualty than there could have had but still. In the end, this island is simply not worth it. Maonia will have to be destroyed. I will not allow that beast to further destroy my island. Octavia will not suffer anymore due to that crap.

“Maester Rodrigue has already done so.” Kane states. Of course the old maester would already have done so. He never waits for my orders in dire situations and yet again, that might have been ordered by Kane himself. Although, knowing how he is I seriously doubt it. When I’m around, he seems to be unable to provide one order around here. The moment I’m around he backs away until ordered otherwise.

“The people of Maonia are on their own for now.” I finally blurt out the order and be done with it. Finally it’s out in the open and I’m done with it. “All islands are to open their doors for Maonian refugees.” I add and Kane nods and follows with a courteous bow.

“You have to send help to them!” The prince’s voice suddenly takes me by surprise as he enters the mess hall. “They’re your people. You can’t just abandon them!” He further objects.

How long has he been standing outside the mess hall? Listening to a private conversation concerning an incident that simply does not concern him. He may be my prince and I will never bring him harm but I certainly will not have him tell me how to run my islands. I am the Warden of the Sea and I will rule it as I see fit to do so.

“Kane, take his grace to the tower of Joy.” I order, not bothering to answer the prince. Not that it would matter; he’s much too young to even understand the situation that I’m in at the moment.

“Yes my lord.” Kane acknowledges as he switches his attention towards the prince. “Come on, time to go.”

“No.” The prince sharply objects much to my dismay. Why can’t he just follow instructions for once. This is not one of those times where I can afford dealing with his stubbornness. “Sugo, you have to send ships to help them. They are my people and I order you to send help.” He further protests.

His words come in sharp life a knife. I understand where he’s coming from, I really do but he knows nothing. I understand, as the prince and our future king, he wants to protect his people but life is not that simple. You can’t do everything because you have the heart and will to do so. When you’re in the position of power, sometimes you have to do sacrifices. You have to ask yourself if you can live with a decision for the rest of your life. The answer is often no, it’s a decision that constantly haunts you at night but it had to be done.

“It’s too late to send ships to help them.” I tell him as I keep my gaze out the window as I gaze around at the raging chaos on my island.

“Too late? You’re not even trying!” He barks back and that stings.

I can’t deny that I’m not trying because I’m not. Not because I don’t want to or that I don’t care about their wellbeing. I’m not doing anything because I know that the effort would be futile. When you’re in the position of power, you can’t always rule with your heart. You have to rule with your head and this is one of those times. Could I send ships to Maonia? Yes. Will I? Absolutely not. It’s a shame for that island and the fate of its people but I prioritize the lives of thousands over the lives of hundreds.

“Come, your grace.” I hear Kane say as he forces the prince out of the mess hall much to the boy’s annoyance and anger.

He needs to learn the harsh realities of life and although this would be a perfect example, he’s not ready for such burdens on his shoulders. As of right now, I’d prefer he keeps the remaining innocence that he has left for he will lose it completely before the end. If I can allow it, may he enjoy the remaining days of his childhood for those days are numbered. Those times are coming to an end and there won’t be anyway of coming back to how things once were.

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 25.5-2**

**Ginoza**

“Get your hands off me!” I snap as I push Kane away from me.

Every time something happens or I try to stand my ground over something Kane always feels the need to drag me away like I’m a child. Everyone here always treat me like I’m some frail child and then they turn around and keep on lecturing me on how I need to kill the boy. What do they want from me!?

“Calm down your grace. This isn’t the time to panic.” Kane voices out calmly.

Panicking? Is that what he thinks I’m doing? I’m not panicking! Hundreds of innocent people are going to die and Sugo is doing nothing to help them. If thinking about my people’s wellbeing is panicking, then yes I am panicking.

“How can you accept such atrocities?” I ask as I stare him straight in his eyes.

“It’s unfortunately not that simple, your grace.” He replies back with that same calm tone as always. I’m shouting at the man and yet he doesn’t even try to raise his voice to match mine. It’s not because I’m his prince, that’s how he always is and quite frankly it’s becoming rather strange. Doesn’t this man have any feelings or is he completely void of them?

“Why not?” I ask and add, “Just send ships there at once. Send the Dread, it will be able to carry many to safety.”

“Don’t think poorly of our lord. It pains him to do nothing but there is nothing he can do.” Kane says in Sugo’s defense and that has to be the biggest bullshit of all time. He didn’t even try! “The worst has yet to come, your grace.” Kane adds. How can there be anything worse than this?

“Worst? How worst can it get?” I inquire.

“The destruction of a whole island within hours, minutes even.” Kane swiftly replies back but that can’t be. An island can’t just be destroyed within hours. It’s not humanly possible. Only in fairy tales of magic and demons are such things possible. I’m no longer a child to believe such stories.

“That’s impossible.” I shoot back as I turn around and walk away. No point in continuing to try to talk some sense into this man. No one is being reasonable.

“Make no mistake, it is possible.” Kane voices out as he grabs my arm to stop me from walking away from him when something catches my eye towards a window.

“Smoke… There’s smoke in the distance.” I voice out and Kane releases his grip from my arm and I step closing to the window.

In the distance, there’s a thick black smoke rising up to the air creating an enormous black cloud as it continues to climb. I’ve never seen such a thing before, I’ve read stories of black smoke similar to this but they were caused by dragons and dragons don’t exist.

“That’s Maonia, your grace.” Kane tells me. “And the smoke is the mountain boiling.” He further tells me.

“How can this be happening?” I ask, my eyes glued onto the rising smoke that seems to be getting larger by the minute. From where I’m standing it looks like the island may be completely on fire as I recall the endless screams from when Emerald Harbor was up in flames.

“Not all islands are formed this way but the majority are created by mountains like the one Maonia has.” Kane calmly explains as I feel his hands on my shoulders and continues, “They remain quiet for some time until they start to rumble and one day it blows up a pile of black spoke. Spewing rocks and then hot molten waves comes washing down the mountain to consume all.”

“But it doesn’t explain why Sugo won’t be sending any ships to help them.” I say numbly.

“The mountain will blow at any time. We don’t know when that will happen, it could be at any minute but when it does chaos will follow. The rocks it will spew out will cause massive damages miles away from the island and our ships would get destroyed. And that’s ignoring the immense heat and toxic gas that will come from the mountain.” He explains and I guess that makes sense but how can such a thing even be possible? Why is this even happening? “All we can do is wait. We can’t send our men to their deaths either.” Kane adds and he’s right but how can we just sit back when innocent people are going to die? How can Sugo do it? He’s basically saying that he’s okay with the fact that hundreds of his people are going to perish.

“Does Octavia have a death mountain also?” I dare ask.

“It used to but it’s under the water. That’s how the wall crater that surrounds this island was made.” Kane answers and I’m not sure if I should be worried or not by the fact that I might be standing over a death mountain as we speak. “But have no fear. This island is safe.” Kane tries to reassure me as he encourages me to walk away from the window but nothing sounds too comforting to me.

“How can I not worry? The fate of Octavia could end up the same as Maonia.” I say as I shake out of Kane’s grasp.

“Poseidon killed the mountain many years ago. There are no safer places than Octavia, your grace.” Kane tells me and here it is again. Poseidon… If Poseidon is such a great being why doesn’t he kill all of those deadly mountains? “Now go on. For your safety, please stay in your quarters.” He briefly orders as we arrive at the entrance of my tower.

I don’t argue, not like it would do me much good anyway. Maybe I should have gone there when Dormer and Murray told me to. Maybe not knowing about the island of Maonia’s fate might have been better than knowing how it will end. In this case, it feels like ignorance would have been better for me…

I quickly glance towards Kane, he’s got his arms crossed against his chest as he patiently waits for me to climb up the stairs. Obviously he’s not going to make the same mistake as Dormer did. I’m no fool either. I know the moment I’m halfway up the tower, he’ll shut the door and lock it from the outside with the latch.

Without another word, I silently climb the stairs and as I walk up, I hear the door close followed by a clinging sound which confirms my earlier assumptions. He was just waiting for me to climb up but I guess I can’t blame him. Still sucks though and I hate the feeling of being powerless. Anyway, no point fretting about it now. There’s nothing I can do about it no matter how much I want to. I continue to climb up until I reach the top and I close the door only to see Risa enter the living quarter from the balcony.

“What a mess.” I say as I make my way onto the couch. I’m exhausted. Ever since I woke up this morning, it’s been one thing right after the next and the day isn’t even over. Things couldn’t possibly get any worst.

“You need to relax. Everything will be fine.” Risa tells me.

“People are going to die Risa.” I say as she walks up to me.

“Yes but no one would die if they had only listened when the commander ordered the citizens to abandon the island due to its disastrous quakes over seven months ago. I think you know how that turned out.” She tells me and that I didn’t know that part. I guess their dilemma is partly their own fault but I can understand why some would not want to leave. Maonia is still their home. It must be hard to be told to leave a place you’ve known your whole life.

“So, what do you suggest we do?” I ask.

“I can think of something.” She says before taking my hand, inviting me to follow as she adds, “Our dear commander is a bit occupied at the moment.”

“Quite occupied.” I agree.

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 25.5-3**

**Sugo**

The current death toll has risen to a thousand seven hundred and ninety-six with the numbers constantly going up by the minute. Maester Rodrigue says the final death toll can go up by another hundred easily before sunrise. Those who make it through the night will be the lucky ones but too many deaths were claimed by this disaster. The sad reality is that more will die before this political conflict settles.

Many on Maonia obeyed and abandoned the island while they still could. Bellamy opened it’s gates to greet them. Others waited too long in order to flee and when the mountain woke up for the very last time; they couldn’t escape the mountain’s wrath. The ships who were too close to the island joined the bottom of the sea, dragging all on board with it.

For an hour, all you could hear was the violent roar of Mount Weather in all of its rage mixed in with the screams of the victims. In this kind of disaster, it’s the children I feel for the most. The children didn’t ask to stay on the island. The parents are the ones who were too stubborn to listen to reasoning. Sometimes I wonder if I could have done something more for them. Maybe I should have raided the island seven months ago and removed all of the children from their parents by force. Maybe it would have forced them to follow as well and more lives could have been saved. But, at the time… I didn’t have the heart to do something like that. Knowing what I know now, I should have done it. I should have ripped those innocents away from their foolish parents and relocated them with a family who would have cared about the children’s wellbeing.

“Still working at this hour?” My wife’s voice takes me out of my thoughts.

Can’t say that I wasn’t worried about her when the island shook violently but I knew that she was safe. When we arrived at the island, she expressed her desires to make our chamber more warming as she liked to call it. I knew she was in within the Tower of the Sun, completely safe within this castle. No matter what quake would suddenly happen, not a single stone will ever crumble away from this mighty structure. There was no safer place for her.

“Yes, I’m piled up with work after being away for so long.” I tell her as I continue working through this pile of paperwork that has accumulated with my month long absence.

I can’t complain about Kane’s capabilities in managing the island’s affairs. Everything stays in order and nothing halts. Not a single thing stops moving and I come back to an island as if I never left. But, he always leaves all the technical stuff to me. It wouldn’t hurt him if he would do some from time to time. I know he doesn’t like leading and that he prefers following but he’s more than capable of doing this. If he had done at least half, I’d probably be done by now.

“Is there something that I can help you with?” Alana asks as she comes closer to my desk.

“No… Unless you have the divine power to reverse everything that’s happened today.” I tell her. Now that would be something great if only she had the power to do so. I still think I should have taken the people off that island by force. I think it would have been better to have a few temporary angry subjects at me than dead one.

I look up away from my paperwork to look at my wife. I didn’t notice before but she’s ditched the dress she had been wearing when we had first arrived. It seemed thicker in fabric; now her gown is more flowy, made out of a lighter fabric. Compared to the climate at Harrenhal, Octavia must be quite scorching to her. I’ll see to it that she gets more suitable gowns made for her tomorrow.

“You look very beautiful.” I tell her and a soft smile forms on her lips.

“Thank you, my lord.” She says and ask, “Do you like it?”

To be honest, it wouldn’t be one of my favourites to be worn on her. To say that the dress is bad isn’t exactly true. I can see that it’s been made with great quality and great care was taken into the design of it. The dress does look good on her but I’d hate to see her wear it in public. It’s quite revealing with the dress being entirely backless except for the collar piece holding up the front with a plunging neckline. It has shoulder cuffs and a gold metal belt piece in the front that looks like vines branching away from a large golden rose in the center that helps to hide the tie that holds the vest together.

Considering the warm weather, it’s probably her lightest dress to wear and be comfortable. I’ll take care of that problem first thing in the morning. I can’t have my wife be overheating but I can’t have her wearing such revealing things either. It just won’t look good for me with my people.

“It’s a lovely gown.” I tell her the half-truth. It’s nice with the prominent gold tracery over the teal colour of the dress but a dress with a better design would surely suite her better. On the other hand, when it comes to being in private, that dress sure does look good on her with that figure. I can’t complain.

“You think so? I’m not exactly sure how I like it better. This way…” She says as she motions her hands to reveal the dress and pauses. “Or this way.” She adds as she opens up her dress, letting it fall onto the floor. Revealing her bare chest with only her petticoat covering her lower half.

“You certainly don’t need it.” I voice out as I admire her beauty before I shove the thought aside as I recall the abundant amount of work that I still have to do. “I have a lot of work that I need to finish.” I say as I force myself to switch my gaze back onto that mountain of paperwork that still needs to be finalized.

“Is there a problem here?” My wife asks. By her tone, I don’t have to look at her to know that she’s not too happy. Her tone switched from pleasant to somewhat annoyed.

“A problem? Other than the pile of work I have to do, no.” I reply back and I wish I could just make it all go away in a flash.

“I don’t know, I believe there is.” She adds in annoyance.

“How so?” I ask as I turn my gaze back up to look at my wife.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps the fact that I just took off my dress and my tits are flashing around and instead of wanting me, you prefer the company of a quill.” She barks back at me.

I guess she does have a point in a sense. I should have seen that one coming from a mile away but I have my duty to consider. Normally I would just say screw the work, that I would get back at it later but this isn’t regular circumstance. I’m behind on my work big time and I have to catch up if I want things to continue working smoothly.

“That’s a rundown quill.” I blurt out with little thought and I see the annoyance in her expression quickly change to anger. I guess that might not have been the best thing to say considering the situation that I’m in. I do admit that since we arrived, I haven’t had much time for my wife but she also needs to understand that I have my duty as Warden to uphold. “I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed with work and that’s ignoring the prince and the king’s own drama that I’ll have to deal with later.” I add in my defense as I lay the quill down and rise up to my feet to join her. The last thing I want in my marriage is for it to turn sour. I don’t want to be trapped in an unhappy marriage where my wife prays for my quick demise.

“You know the prince has every right to be angry at his father. When you play the game of dishonesty with the people most dear to you, it’s always a matter of time until everything explodes.” She tells me and I agree but it’s not so simple. “But, their problems are not yours.” She adds and in a sense it’s true but not all of it. Their problems are not mine per say but I’m still the one who will have to deal with it later. It’s a pain but that’s the reality of it.

“No, they may not be my problems per say but I’m the one who’s going to have to deal with the aftermath and I still have to pull out some information from the men that the prince claims to be the ones who abducted him a month ago.” I explain.

There’s still those men I still have to interrogate. Due to the chaos that ensured today, I wasn’t able to get to that. There were far more important things to see to. If all goes well tomorrow, I should be able to put my energy into solving that issue. There’s also the part where the prince ordered the mutilation of those men. To be honest, I’m not too sure what to think about that. To be honest, what he did was quite brutal. Quite brutal but I would have probably done the same thing. No… That’s a lie. I would have killed them right on the spot. Perhaps I might be more brutal than the prince, cruel even at this point… Thinking about it now, it’s not the kind of man I had wanted to be at the start of my reign but I’ve learned you can’t rule without being able to commit acts of brutality when need be. Cruel even when it demands it…

I’ve often heard people say that in order to rule you need to be feared otherwise there will always be some who will try to undermine you at every opportunity they get. To say the least, I always told myself that if I were ever to fall into power, I would make my people love me. How naïve I was back then. It didn’t take too long for me to figure out that love will only get you so far when it comes to holding on to power. Being loved is important in order to rule but you also need to be respected but most importantly you need to be feared. Your subjects need to fear you more than they fear your enemy.

“You worry too much. Everything will be fine but you can do all of that in the morning.” Alana tells me, snapping me out of my thoughts as she lays a gentle hand on my cheek. “Once the sun rises, you are theirs but once the sun sets and the night comes, you are mine.” She adds as I recount the vows we spoke during our small wedding ceremony.

“I’m yours as you are mine.” I say the words ever so softly as I had recited them on that day. The day that had marked the end of my days of being alone.

“Our marriage is valid only because it was consummated on our wedding night but what has it been since? The next day we set sailed to come here. You have not touched me during the whole voyage so I figured that a ship is no place for such things but now here we are. In our chambers late at night, I’m half naked; our bed only inches away and nothing.” She tells me and I agree. I am at fault for that. The truth is, it’s not that it was taboo to lie with my wife during our voyage. There are no laws against it. It’s just it didn’t feel right knowing there were so many ears around. “Is there something wrong with me? Do I not please you?” She asks and that stings.

“Of course not, there’s nothing wrong with you Alana. You’re perfect in every possible way, I could not ask for a better wife. This is simply what I do. I work; I constantly work day and night. You can say that it’s a habit, maybe a bad habit on my part…” I quickly counter back. Alana is more than perfect; by all means she’s more than what I deserve. She’s a beauty of beauties, she has no equals but her beauty only hides what lies underneath and that is a fierce courage and great intelligence. She truly is her father’s daughter. “But it’s a habit that I formed alone. It’s indeed something that I’ll have to change and I’m sorry if I made you feel unwanted. It certainly was not my intention.” I add and I must admit that I need to change my habits and most importantly I will have to change my work ethics for Alana’s sake. For our sake if I want this to work otherwise everything will just crumble to pieces.

“Our enemies won’t be happy about us. They’ll want to tear us apart and the only way to stop them is to put your baby in my belly.” She states and that I cannot deny. A child will cement the union and it will keep our enemies wary. They will know that they can’t break a union when children are involved but it’s not just about our enemies. If I am to cement Alana onto the Stone Islands as the Wardenness, she’s going to need to be with child. With an heir present, my people will not be able to deny Alana as their Liege Lady.

Liege Lady… The days where I make all the decisions around here, the days I carry everything on my shoulders will need to stop. Many things I oversee can easily be done by my Lady… How strange it sounds when I think about it. I’ve been alone for so long that it seems odd to share the load.

“Now that’s not exactly a hard task.” I blurt out as I lay my hands on her hips, unable to remove my gaze from her blue eyes. They’re so deep, so dark, it’s like the ocean on a dark night only light by the full moon in the starry sky.

“Oh really? On my end, it does not look like we got off to a good start.” She adds teasingly.

“We better get started then.” I tell her as I lift Alana up in my arms, taking her to our bed.

I don’t know where I stand with her and I don’t know what I mean to her. Is it duty or something else? I’m not sure but what I do know is that every time I think of her, I want to be with her. For it was not in my ear that she whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips that she kissed, but my soul.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

  **Ginoza**

The new moon has finally passed but I haven’t heard anything from Kougami.  I  honestly  thought he would have turned up last night, especially with the chaos that happened yesterday  . I would have thought he would have come rushing into the tower of Joy to see if I was okay.  I haven’t seen Kougami since that night when I gazed at the stars and I can’t help but wonder if Kougami might have got caught in the explosion of the Island of Maonia . I pray that's not the case. I hope he wasn’t near that fateful island at all…

That island…

Why…?

I don’t understand why so many refused to abandon the island even in its final hours. They must have known that they would have died if they stayed. I  just  hope that their deaths were sudden and painless but somehow I doubt it. Death is never painless. The god of death has no mercy on the innocent souls in this world. Not  just  the god of death… All gods have no mercy. That’s why they’re gods.

“Not up to any mischief today are we?” I hear Kane asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Unfortunately no. Although, the thought is quite tempting.” I reply back. “To be honest I’m avoiding my father at all cost and being stuck on an island makes it quite hard.” I add.

“Your father is rather occupied today. Avoiding him won’t be a problem.” Kane tells me.  At least that’s some good news for once and I appreciate that Kane isn't trying to give me some sappy excuse that I shouldn't avoid my father . I've had enough of that for quite a while.

Today, I  just  can’t seem to find something to be cheerful about. Although last night with Risa was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. The sight of the city is  simply  heartbreaking and  just  that alone is enough to drag me down. Everywhere I look there are some severe damages and that’s ignoring the sound of children crying.

I heard Maester Rodrigue this morning tell Sugo that the total death toll had risen much higher than he had expected  . The death toll has now reached two thousand deaths, including Maonian casualties.  Maester Rodrigue said that some are still not out of the woods and from what I saw this morning, a lot more will not see the next sunrise and that is if they’re even lucky to see the sunset .

This morning, I wanted to be productive. I wanted to be able to do something so I joined Maester Rodrigue to the Monastery but I was completely useless. I couldn’t help a single one of my people who laid there on a bed suffering.  The worst was when I laid eyes on a little girl bruised and bloodied from having most of her body crushed by fallen rubble  . It was a miracle that she was still alive but if the gods have any bit of mercy left in them, they should come for her.  Her right arm had to  be amputated  after it had been too  severly  crushed and if only that had been her only injury she might have had a chance  . Her face is so disfigured that I couldn’t recognize her at all. It’s only after I saw the girl’s necklace that I realized who this little girl was.  Risa had made it  in order to  cheer her up after she had  been attacked by  those men… It was one of a kind so I know it has to be her and that very thought gives a blow . I wanted to save her, I wanted to give her a better life. I couldn't even do that...

Why must the world be cruel?

Athena… Her father died when she was still  just  a baby trying to make a living for his family. She has no memory of the man and her mother shortly died afterwards from sickness. She doesn’t have any siblings or any remaining family. All she had was the orphanage and nothing more. Whether she dies or lives, there isn’t anyone waiting for her at home.  She’s  just  another parentless child… I wanted to help her, I wanted to give her such a better life but look at her now… Lying in a bed struggling to breath and fighting to keep the ever growing fever at bay . Maester Rodrigue says that she won’t survive, that she shouldn’t have lived this long.

I couldn’t do my duty. I couldn’t stay in the Monastery and help Maester Rodrigue with the wounded.  He didn’t try to force me to stay and he didn’t seem disappointed when I left but I can only imagine what Grand Maester Aemon would have said  . He thought me so much how to care for the ill and the wounded but when the time came I  just  couldn’t do it.

“Maester Rodrigue tells me-”

“That I was useless who couldn’t do a single thing to help anyone.” I cut off Kane as I rise up to my feet. Not bothering to look at the man. If that’s why he came to see me, he’s wasting his time.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say, your Grace.” He tells me, not that I believe him. Maybe he wasn't going to say it but I'm sure he was thinking it. He's not royalty but I'm sure that Kane would do a better job than me. Sometimes I think I might have been borned to the wrong parents and that I was never meant to be a prince. Kane seems to fit the role much better...

“I volunteered to assist in the care of the wounded. I wasn’t even able to care for one.” I state.

All I can do this morning was stare at all the motionless bodies and listen to the cries and ragged breathes of the injured  . When the time came for me to administer the skills I’ve  been thought , I froze. I was completely useless.

“Not everyone can do that kind of care. We’re talking about children who will  be handicapped  for life and many won’t survive. They are  severely  wounded and  not many  have the stomach to care for such patients.” Kane tells me. I'm pretty sure Kane could. He seems to be able to do everything he's asked to do.

“Right...” I reply back.

“I’ll do a lot of things. I’ll go to war but don’t ask me to care for a child when I know they will die.” Kane tells me and I look up to meet his gaze as he continues, “ Morally , I don’t want that on my conscious.”

“I didn’t think it would have been that hard…” I admit.  I’ve cared for small wounds with Grand Maester Aemon’s guidance before back at the capital but nothing to that degree .

“So, here’s what  I suggest . Go clear your head with something that does not involve in yesterday’s casualties.” Kane says but that’s easier said than done. The island is a complete mess. Even the docks are in complete disarray. Nothing major but it’s a mess none the less.

“And go where? Back to the castle and hermit my way into my tower like a good little boy.” I shoot back and continue, “And don’t you dare say that I should go to the garden. If I have to take another  leisurely  stroll through that garden I will fling myself into the sea.”

“And here I thought the garden was your favourite location on the island.” Kane  quickly  replies back with a grin on his face.

“ I think  I’ll try to find Kougami.” I voice out.

“He’ll be somewhere in the water. You won’t find him within the city walls.” Kane voices out and I’m aware of that.  I figured that I could go back to that secluded beach for starters but if all fails, I can always  just  waste my day away there  . It’s definitely a place where my father won’t be able to find me. “Or you can walk on the edge of the wall.  Just  be careful when you take your steps, most of the rocks are wet and some  are covered  in slime. Be careful so you don’t fall.” Kane adds and that’s an idea.

I didn’t think about that, to be honest I wouldn’t have dared it.  Just  one wrong move and that’s it. I’ll get washed away into the ocean but looking at the rocks that surround the wall, it does look manageable. It’s not wide enough to set up ladders for a siege but a human should be more than capable to walk on the edge. I’m not sure why but the thought of trying this is quite tempting. It’s quite dangerous and I should avoid doing something so crazy and yet that’s what makes it even more tempting to try.

“ I think  I’ll do that.” I voice out.  “But first, aren’t you worried about what Sugo might say if he finds out that you encouraged me to do something ever so dangerous  ?” I ask, not bothering to hide my amusement as Kane  quickly  looks around. To be honest, it would surprise me if Kane would ever land in hot waters with Sugo. The guy seems to be able to get away with anything while another would get reprimanded quite hard.

Sometimes  I wonder  if this obvious favouritism might be an issue with the Islanders.  Probably  not since I haven’t noticed anyone having any issues with Kane in any way. Unless there are some resentment but they’re well hidden. I guess when you fall into power, it’s only natural you end up favouring certain people more. The Iron Islands can’t be any different.

“Murray!” He shouts. “It’s all your fault!” He adds.

“You can bet your ass it is!” I hear Murray shout back from wherever he may be and I guess that’s pretty much the end of it.

I leave Kane to his work as I navigate through the busy pier.  Trying not to get in the way of the workers as I make my way towards the rocky edge and  carefully  start walking through the narrow path  .  Kane sure wasn’t joking when he said that a lot of the rocks  were covered  in slime which then makes the rocks quite slippery  .  A few times I almost lost my footing and  nearly  slid right into the water and a few times there were some small waves that slammed into the wall which made things even worst .

As dangerous as it is, the sound and the sight of the sea is completely different. It’s not something I could witness at the top of the grand walls or sitting on the beach.  The wind and scent of the sea is different which makes continuing onto this dangerous path quite worth it .

A large gatherings of rocks catches my eyes as I continue walking.  They look like a rockish island and as I climb on top, I notice a staircase lowering down onto a rocky shore, almost  similar to  a beach  just  without the sand  . I  carefully  climb down and by the looks of it, I’d say that this is a spot that  is frequented by  people quite a lot. Definitely someone comes here every day I would say and I have to wonder if this might be one of Kane’s own hideouts.  Maybe  this is where he comes to when I can’t seem to find him on the island.

I look around and I notice in the distance a patch of sand. From here, it looks like the secluded beach so if this is Kane’s hideout, it might explain how he had seen us before. Next time I go to the beach, I’ll have to see if I can find this rock formation from there.  However  , the formation of this rock like island makes me wonder if there might have been an extension in the past  .  Although the stairs are in poor conditions, they still look like they were man made and if this was once a part of this island, I have to wonder what happened to it or why the Islanders allowed the elements to devour it . It’s definitely something I’ll have to inquire to Kane later; I want to know the story behind this part of the island. There are so much that I still don’t know about the Island of Octavia.

I know the Island of Octavia is the largest Island within the Iron Islands with over seven thousand square miles of terrain with a population of eighty-six thousand. To say the least, when I was told the population count for this island, I was fairly surprise. The island of Octavia is easily three times the size of the Tearling and yet the Capital has a population nearing three million. But, the Island of Octavia unlike the Tearling can sustain itself. There’s enough land for agriculture and the raising of livestock and with the low population of the island, the people are all well fed and whatever is left is distributed to the islands that may be struggling. Needless to say, the island of Octavia is without a doubt a monster. Maester Rodrigue told me that the island is impregnable but I can’t believe that. Anything that is man made can be breached. Even Harrenhal will eventually meet its demise one day. A time will come where a force so great will reduce the great castle of Harrenhal to total ruins and the island of Octavia will also meet such a fate. All I ask for is that it doesn’t happen for many centuries to come.

I shake off the thoughts away as I climb back up the stone steps and resume my path along the wall. I had hoped that I would have run into Kougami by now but so far I haven’t seen any signs of him at all. It’s disappointing but he has to be somewhere, unless he was near the island of Maonia when it exploded.  The very thought that Kougami might  be injured  or worst dead is frightening but I can’t help but think that his absence isn’t a good sign . He said that he would have returned after the new moon and it has passed so where is he? Or… He decided not to bother on coming back and to wipe his hands clean of this conflict. After all, it has nothing to do with him.

The rocks as I continue navigating the rocky path, are  strangely  dry. Before, most of the rocks were either wet or covered in slime and only a few were dry. And  oddly  the tide is not coming into the direction of the wall like before. I can see the waves crashing onto rocks in the distant but not over here as if there is some kind of invisible barrier.  The water instead is calm, like a lake which is odd but  perhaps  it has something to do with how the ocean moves in currents which is rather fascinating .

It’s still odd how the rocks on the ground are dry though and the path keeps on getting wider when part of the wall seems to have  been invaded by  vegetation  .  Honestly  , it doesn’t look too good.  If it’s  just  plain moss then it wouldn’t be a problem but it looks like it might be some sort of vine plant and those can cause major structural damage  . Anyhow, with how dry the rocks are, it makes no sense that vegetation would grow here.  There isn't any moisture to even encourage growth and not to mention that the sun would dry out any kind of vegetation before it can even start  . Well, that's the logic of it but I guess this formation is what we call an  anomaly  in a sense.

I walk up to the wall that has been overtaken by vegetation.  The region affected is quite alarming, if the enemy would attack through this spot, it could be devastating  .  I  quickly  investigate the foliage only to see that the vegetation isn’t anchored into the stone like I had feared  .  At least that’s good but for such a large area covered by a blanket of vegetation it’s quite odd that the plant has not affected the stone . Even stranger is how it can even stick to the wall when the plant hasn’t anchored itself into the stone. By the size it must have been here for quite some times. By the size, I’d say at least over six months.

A sound catches my attention as I  quickly  turn around only to see nothing but the endless ocean. For a second I thought it might have been Kougami but nothing. It was  just  wishful thinking and I should  just  move on.  Perhaps  if I continue this path,  I might  be able to reach the secluded beach or  maybe  not.  Maybe  I should  just  turn around and head back within the wall and that would indeed be a wise decision to make before the tide rises .

I scan the ocean one last time before turning around when suddenly I feel something wrap around my neck as I feel my body rise up from the ground. I can barely breathe as I reach for whatever that has twisted itself around my neck. Whatever it is, it feels strange. The texture is smooth and yet cold but the flesh isn’t hard as my nails easily dig into the soft flesh.

“Well hello up there.” I hear someone say from below. My eyes jolt down to see a silvered hair man in the water  just  starring at me.

“Don’t  just  stand there, help me!”  I manage to say in short breathes as I try to get to get this thing to release it’s hold on my neck as I dig deeper into its flesh when  I feel  something slithering around my arms and drags them away from my neck followed by the same slithering around my legs and torso which relieves the pressure around my neck but I can’t break free from this thing .

“I’m afraid that I don’t do much standing.” The man says as he lifts a golden tail out of the water so he’s  just  like Kougami. No, he’s not like Kougami. He’s different. The way that he’s watching me struggle against my unknown captor, he seems rather amused.

I try to move my arms  in order to  reach this thing around my neck with much difficulty but I manage to claw into its flesh once again only to get arm yank further back  .  I shift my eyes towards my right when  I feel  something slighter around up to my shoulder only see some sort of large vine  . I  quickly  gaze to my left only to find the same kind of vine wrapping itself around my other arm.

“The more you struggle, the rougher it will be.” The merman voices out.

“Wh- What is this thing?” I ask in slight panic as  I feel  the vines slithering its way under my shirt and down to my pants.

“It’s a type of man-eater plant. This kind feeds on a man’s energy and spirit. It’s also the main ingredient for an aphrodisiac that’s ever so popular with humans.” The merman tells me as if it’s no big deal. What is wrong with this guy!?

“I don’t need your explanation!  Just  do something!” I tell him as I struggle in the grasp of a damn plant that keeps on slithering it’s vine where it shouldn’t go.

“These kinds of plant are picky you know. They don’t  just  grab any man or woman to feast upon. You should  be honored  it chose you out of so many that crossed its path.”  He tells me without much care in his tone as he keeps on watching  amusingly  as a plant  mindlessly  continues to invade my boundaries  . “They love the warmth of a human body as it heats up with ecstasy  just  like yours is doing right now.” He adds and as much as I hate to admit, he’s right. I hate this. I hate the slithering feeling of those cold vines against my body and yet my body isn’t reacting like it should.

I’m  being violated by  a damn plant. What’s more pathetic than that? I don’t want to feel anything but instead my body is betraying me. Being violated against your will should be pain, it shouldn’t feel good. It’s embarrassing and humiliating.

“Keep still and quit struggling if you want it to let you go quicker.” The merman tells me but how can anyone do that? This is wrong and he’s terrible for doing nothing. He could help, he could do something and yet he prefers to  be entertained by  another’s misery.

I feel  the vine around my neck slither its way up to my chin as the tip reaches my lips and keeps on pushing its way into my mouth . Quit struggling… That’s what he told me but I can’t do that. If I am to die, let it be while there’s still some of me left.

Without any hesitation I bite down as hard as I can on the vine.  Severing the part that had invaded my mouth and the other part  violently  jerked away, spitting out the severed part as  I feel  the creature loosen his grip and I know this is the time to fight . If I can’t get free now, I never will.

Without wasting any time, I struggle to reach the vine still wrapped around my neck, managing to get a hold of the thick vine  .  This time I don’t try to pull and instead I push it upwards and bit it again as hard as I can, all the while ignoring the foul taste from the liquid that gushes out of the vine  . I don’t know how many times I bit it  in order to  try and free myself. All I know after a long struggle that felt like an eternity, I felt my body  suddenly  drop to the ground.

The landing was quite hard. Although considering the hell I  just  went through, the landing wasn’t so bad. But, it could have been worst if the merman hadn’t caught me.  However  , considering the fact that he was  perfectly  fine in letting that creature have its way with me is beyond despicable . He won’t get a thank you from me for having caught me.

This merman is nothing like Kougami.  When we first met that time in the underwater cave, his touch was gentle and there was something in the look of his eyes that was trustworthy  . This merman  on the other hand , he’s not gentle. His golden eyes hide a dangerous malice. This merman is dangerous.

“What’s with that look? I caught you didn’t I?” He asks ever so  casually  like nothing happened.

“How could you  just  watch and do nothing?” I dare ask as  I feel  his grasp on my arms tighten.

“You have an exotic scent, it’s quite hard to resist.” He says, not bothering to answer my question. Not like I expected him to.

“Let go of me.” I bark back as I try to shove him away from me  in order to  try and escape his grasp with little success.

I have a vile taste in my mouth and my head feels weird when I try to make sudden moves. This feeling,  I wonder  if it might be a side effect of the substance that came out of the plant’s vines. It would make sense but I can’t afford to be weak now.

Kougami, where are you!?

“You must be that human that Kougami is so interested in.” The merman says  numbly , catching my attention. So does that mean that Kougami knows this guy? Are they friends? No, that's impossible. Kougami would never associate himself with an individual like that. “If you’ve been able to keep him interested for so long, I want to see what is so irresistible about you.” He adds as he presses his body closer towards mine.

“Get away from me!” I shout back as I draw out the dagger from my boot, pressing the blade onto his neck.

“Beautiful flowers, too,  eventually  wither and fall. That's the fate of all living beings.” He says, his golden eyes locked onto mine and I don’t dare to look away as if, if I look away for a second he’ll swallow me whole. “When a man faces fear, his soul  is tested . What he was born to seek... what he was born to achieve... his true nature will become clear.” He adds and I can feel my body start to shake.

All I have to do is push for the blade to dig into his skin and slit his throat in an instant and  be done  with it. I  just  have to do a swift motion of the wrist and it will be over. This threat will  be done …

Kill the boy…

Kill the boy and let the man be born…

Kill the boy…

Why can’t I do it!?

“You disappoint me. So I have to give you a punishment. Regret your helplessness and feel despair.” 

**XXX**

 

* * *

**Chapter 26.5**

**Kane**

The recovery and healing of the island will not be a quick process to recover from.  It will take weeks if not months  in order to  go back to how things were but the scars of this tragedy will remain for a very long time . The damages are far too great for the proud people of this island to forget this tragedy. Although it is nobody’s fault, man has no control over nature, the Islanders will still not forget.

With war ever so near, the Iron Islands could not afford such a tragedy but we’ll have to endure as we have always done. It’s not the time to succumb to grief, we need to gather up our strength with little delay as possible. As of right now, with the strength that we have at this very moment, it is not enough.  Not many  of our banners have arrived  as of yet . It will take more time for them to gather and unfortunately time is not a luxury that we have.

Anyhow, we’ll deal with whatever chaos comes our way when the time comes. No use fretting about something that has yet to pass. When the war starts, we’ll be ready to defend our keep. We’ve never failed to defend our own in the past. We sure won’t start now. But as of right now, we have to concentrate in getting the city ready for a siege. No matter how strong the defenses of the island is, we have to be ready for the worst case scenario. The walls need to  be secured  and maimed. We also need to stock up the island’s food supply and then the rest should follow quite well.

The sound of steady footsteps catches my attention as I look up towards the entrance of the messhall only to see the king enter short after . If he came here looking for the Liege Lord, he came to the wrong place. He won’t find many lurking in here at this hour.

“Your Grace.” I acknowledge as I rise up to my feet and give a light bow for respect.

“Please sit. It’s a bit too late for formalities.” He  gently  responds and I obey without question. “I didn’t see you at the capital.” He voices out the obvious. Of all people, he knows that I wasn't there so why even bother bringing something like that up.

“I wasn’t there. I was here where my Lord needed me.”  I state as I watch the older man  slowly  pace around the messhall and I have to wonder if he may be  simply  wandering the castle to clear his mind . As far as I know, his relationship with his son has not improved in the slightest.

I hear that the prince has been avoiding his father all day so I guess he was serious this morning. Well, to be honest he’s been avoiding pretty much everyone all day. After he left to search for Kougami this morning, he seemed somewhat okay. Not exactly in a good mood but considering the event that happened yesterday he was doing okay at least. Can’t say the same after I saw him  briefly  in the distance. He  just  bolted into the castle and retreated to the tower of Joy and he hasn’t left since so I guess he didn’t find Kougami.

“I couldn’t help but notice that empty chair at the great table. It’s always vacant.” The king points out as he looks at me as if he’s waiting for me to say exactly what he’s come to the conclusion of. Not that it’s much of a secret, I  simply  don’t want it.

“It’s only a chair, your Grace.” I say.

“It’s a seat for those of status and rank. Being the Warden’s right hand man, that seat is yours and yet I’ve not seen you sit in it even once.” The king voices out as he walks over to the chair and looks at it for a few seconds before returning his gaze towards me. “I can tell it’s never been sit on.” He adds and he’s right and I never will either.

“Correct.” I admit before taking a sip from my ale, ignoring the king as he  slowly  walks towards me. I  just  want this conversation to be over with.  In a sense,  I might  be able to understand the prince’s frustration towards his father on certain things a little better  . The man seems to have a tendency to stick on things that don’t  really  matter. Take the chair for example. At the end of it all, it’s only a chair. It doesn’t mean much and I prefer sitting with the men. “I’m no Lord. Only a soldier, your Grace. I know my place and it’s not up there.” I add.

“A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions. The ones who think so little of themselves are always the most deserving.” He tells me in a calm tone as  I feel  a heavy hand rest on my shoulder. “Listen son, a knight in shining armor is a man who has never had his metal  truly  tested. Never forget that.” He adds before walking away.

I  silently  watch the king walk out of the messhall before letting out a sigh of relief. I’m not a politician nor do I want to be. I’ll do what I have to do, I will never neglect my duty to my Liege Lord but I don’t want more than what I already have. I don’t want power, I never have and I never will. It’s  just  not me.

I finish my dinner as  I think  about how I have to do a quick run at the Monastery before calling it quits for the day. Can’t say that I’m thrilled to go there but it  is expected  of me so I must do my duties. But, if I could avoid it, I would but I don’t have a choice in the matter. Seeing dying suffering children isn’t my cup of tea.

A rhythmic thunk-tap of boots striking stone jolts me out of my thoughts as I  quickly  rise up to my feet. The sound of that man walking is unmistakable much to my dismay. He’s the last person I want to see right now and yet…

The sound of his footsteps come to a sudden halt and all grows quiet as I force myself to look up to meet the old man’s gaze. As usual, his eyes are stern and void of any possible joy in his face. Sometimes I have to wonder if he can feel any sort of emotions.

“Father.”  I acknowledge his presence and he walks up to me in that same slow and steady walk he always does as he walks up to you with that judgemental stare as he looks down at you .

“Look at you... Lazing around, doing nothing while your brother covers himself in glory.” He tells me without much care in his tone as he adds, “You’re a disgrace.”

Same old, same old with this man. Not once have I heard him say something good in my face. No matter what I do, I’ll never be as good as his golden boy.  On the other hand  , we’re completely different my brother and I. Only a fool would compare two people and expect the same results from them .

“It’s always a good talk with you.” I reply back as I walk past the man who should be a father but is more of a stranger to my eyes.

My father cuts me off with a strong arm as he digs his fingers into my arm and our eyes meet and all I can see is pure hatred in his dark brown eyes  . Where this hatred comes from towards me will always be a mystery.  I grew up for so long without knowing who my father was and then out of the blue he enters my life which resulted in nothing  .  Ever since knowing him, he’s never failed to tell me how worthless I am so why can’t he continue doing what he used to and pretend I don’t even exist .

“You’re an ill-made, spiteful creature full of envy, and low cunning. Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colors since I cannot prove that you are not mine.” He tells me in a calm and low tone. His words cutting deep and  strangely  I don’t know why they bother me. Not like it’s not something I didn’t think about before and yet hearing him say it out loud hurts. As much as I hate the man, I still want his approval. His acknowledgment as a father would to his son.

“I apologize that I have displeased you father.” I say for whatever its worth. At this point, I don’t even think it even matters. Nothing I do will ever be good enough for him and yet I know I will work even harder to try and get his opinion of me to change. I know it’s futile and yet I can’t help but try.

“The day that you were born. I wanted to carry you into the sea and let the waves wash you away. Instead, your mother chose to flee to save your worthless life.” He says and that one felt like  being stabbed  with a knife  being twisted  into the wound. Being born was  basically  a mistake in his eyes it would seem.

It doesn’t surprise me that my father would like nothing else then to see me die. I’ve had my suspicions a long time ago but one can always hope they were wrong. I didn’t think that he wanted to kill me the moment I was born. If my mother fled, it’s  probably  because it wasn’t an empty threat. He would have done it and now  I wonder  if he’s only waiting for the opportune moment to finish it.

I feel  his grip on my arm loosen, never taking his eyes off me as he spoke, “You’re no son of mine.” And with that, he walked away as if what he  just  said was nothing at all.

The sound of his footsteps is all I can hear as they  slowly  die down in the distance.  I wonder  if the prince would complain so much about his father if he would see mine.  Probably  not. The king might have his flaws, everyone does but the king is still a better father than mine will ever be. Mine is a terrible man in every possible way. He’s ruthless and heartless.  He’s a great tactician, he has a great mind for war and some would say that he’s one of the best but you won’t see him on the front line . He barks his orders and men listen. None dare object and for good reason too.

Once I no longer hear my father’s footsteps, I leave the messhall only to come face to face with Kougami.  Of all time he could have shown up, he decides to show his face now and all I can think about is to shove him into the stone wall behind him . Instead of heading to the tower of Joy where he knows the prince will be, he comes here instead.

“Hey Kane!” He says but I pay no mind to him as I move past Kougami and make my way down the hall. “Hey!” He calls out as he follows me down the hall.

“Don’t you have a job to do?” I ask, not bothering to stop as I exit the castle.

“Hey Kane! Hold up!” He calls out again as  I feel  him grab hold of my shoulder and I stop to face him. “I know it’s none of my business but I heard what hap-”

“And what?” I  sharply  cut him off. “I have a job to do and so do you.  I suggest  that you do it and that you keep your nose out of other people’s business.” I further tell him before knocking his grip off my shoulder as I back away from the merman.

“Your father is wrong-”

“Quit wasting time and do your job.” I cut him off again and bolt away from the merman.

It might have been harsh but I don’t have the patience to deal with Kougami right now. First of all he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping and he shouldn’t put his nose into other people’s business. And not to mention that he has more pressing matters to attend to. He sure doesn’t have his priorities at the right place.

To say that my father is wrong, he’s never wrong. He  certainly  wouldn’t be in his position if he ever was wrong. I  on the other hand  have never done anything to be in the position that I’m in. I can put up a fight when I have to but I’m not an excellent fighter. Yes I  accompany  the crew on the sea but I rarely abandon the ship unless ordered to by our Liege Lord which is quite rare.

After a bit, when I’m certain that Kougami isn’t following me, I slow down my pace as I make my way to the Monastery. The city has by now grown quiet with little people wandering the streets. Everything seems to be normal, as if nothing ever happened while most have retired to bed.  Only a few remain awake but will soon be retiring themselves  in order to  gather up their strength for another day tomorrow .

The windows of the Monastery are  fully  lite as I come closer. Compared to this morning, the place is more quiet which can only mean that  probably  many didn’t live to see the sun set. Most of them must be the injured children.

I open the large wooden door of the Monastery and  silently  close the door. The first thing I notice are the vacant beds that had  been occupied  this morning. The countdown for the death toll will soon be final and I long for it to be over. May the innocent  cease  their suffering.

I walk around in silence as I observe the sisters care for the injured and the ill when I see Murray in the distance. I walk up towards the bed he’s standing next to and he doesn’t have to say why he’s here. I know him too well for that. I  just  don't know how he can do it.

I look down at the small figure laying down onto the bed. I listen to her ragged little breathes as she continues to fight the fever that has long since taken a grip of her core.  She won’t survive, we all know that she has no chance of coming out of this and yet the gods refuse to come for her and to put her out of her misery . Even though I know that she has no chance of recovering and an act of mercy is what she needs, I can't do it.

“You came early.” Murray tells me and he doesn’t have to say anything else because I know why.  There’s only one reason for him being here and although some might say that Murray is heartless for doing this, I can’t object to it . Someone has to put an end to the needless suffering.

“Do it quick.” I tell him, unable to take my eyes off the little girl as I crouch down next to her bed and  gently  take her limp hand in mine.

Murray sits down on the other side of the bed  gently  before drawing out his knife from its sheath and with a swift movement of his wrist he plunges the blade into the little girl’s chest and her ragged little breathes came to a stop in an instant  . Her hand never jerked in mine nor did she squirm on the bed as she drew herlast breath. It’s almost as if her mind never noticed a thing. As if her mind has been dead for a very long time and her body  just  refused to die.

I  gently  lay her hand on her chest before standing up as I keep on telling myself that it needed to  be done  . She had no chance to live.  Her face was completely disfigured and her right arm amputated, even if she had survived, she never would have been able to live a normal life . The pain she would have had to live with on a daily basis would have been unimaginable. It would only have been cruel to let her live like that.

“You alright?” Murray asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“It never gets any easier.” I answer as I swallow the lump that has long since formed within my throat. “Are there any others left?” I ask, trying to shake off the thoughts away.

“No. Athena was the last one.” Murray answers and that’s a relief.

“Good. Then it’s done.” I state and Murray stands up and sheaths his knife.

For those who have died, I’ll make sure they receive a proper memorial. Whether their lives were long or short, they will not  be forgotten .


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Sugo**

I wake to the sound of crows croaking in the distance as I let out a sigh. I swear to the gods that these critters were created to torture men. They never shut up when silence is required and when you need them to croak, you don’t see a single one anywhere. On the other hand, they serve as an excellent wake up call in the morning. Thanks to them, I’ve never overslept once ever since becoming the liege lord of the Stone Islands. Ironically, it’s all thanks to those damn critters. Don’t ask me how they know when people need to wake up, they just do. It's probably the reason why no one tried to mass murder them as of yet.

What will be on the plate for today? The interrogation of the men the prince imprisoned a month ago wasn’t very fruitful. All of them had a different story from the other and they never sticked to their initial stories either. The facts would change constantly and no matter how much pain got inflicted upon them, we got nothing as a result. To be honest, I think those men were just going about their normal lives, minding their own business as they tried to make a living when some wealthy bastard came along with an offer they couldn’t refuse. To begin with, those men weren’t that smart to begin with so whoever hired them knew they wouldn’t be ratted out. They probably made sure to keep their identity a secret or used a different name as their cover. Needless to say, the bastard is safe for now.

I was hoping yesterday I might have been able to get some clues in order to figure out who the instigator might be. Unfortunately, I got nothing. The king insisted on being there for the interrogations and he made a remark that those men were citizens at the capital. That he had seen them many times in his city and believes to know where they live in the slums of the capital which can only mean that the one who hired them has to be native from this kingdom.

Right from the beginning, I had my doubts about lord Richmond. After all, why shouldn’t I distrust the man? I know for a fact that he had all the motives to turn heel. He had by far the most perfect cover story to secure his innocence as well. But, I’m starting to think that maybe this is what our bastard was aiming for from the get go. Perhaps lord Richmond isn’t the one that we need to keep an eye on at all.

Back when I was at the capital, a red headed kid came to me bearing a letter from lord Richmond himself. The letter didn’t state much only that the seed is strong and that was it. I didn’t pay much mind to it since I didn’t trust the man. It could have been one of his games to play with my head so I didn’t even bother to mention it to the king or to any of the other wardens. Whatever game Richmond was playing, I had no intentions on putting my energy into it. That is until I came back to Octavia and came face to face with that same red haired kid again.

The kid’s sudden appearance had caught me by surprise. I know for a fact that there was no way I had acquired a stow away on my ship. The thing that caught my attention the most was the fact that the boy wasn’t human like I had initially thought. His copper coloured tail was hard to ignore and just like last time, he came bearing another odd message from lord Richmond.

That man never stayed quiet about not wanting any of the Merpeople around his harbor. He express time and time again how he would kill any of creatures that would venture near his region. In turn, this was one of the main reason why sailors favoured Emerald Harbour to dock and do business in the first place. It’s also one of the main reason why the Islanders despise Lord Richmond as well. And now, he’s using the assistance of a merman boy to deliver his messages which makes no sense to me.

Anyhow, most sailors are afraid of the Merpeople due to tales so stupid that they just don't stick to logic. Anyhow, it’d only be natural for them to go to a place where the Merpeople are not welcome and yet things just don’t add up. Yeah, I’ve never seen a single merman around that harbor so naturally it would mean they don't go there. But, I can’t ignore the fact that lord Richmond is using one to deliver his messages to me. I know for a fact that no Merman or Mermaid would deliberately assist a human if they feared for their lives. Which means they know Richmond isn’t a threat to them.

To be honest, back at the capital I wasn’t caught by surprise that he reached out to me in secret. After all, the prince probably mentioned to him that my ship the Dread was out onto the open sea. He probably betted his luck that I would have the prince in my possession and if he wanted to get him back then who better to try and befriend.

And then again…

If Richmond was truly the instigator in all of this mess, he never would have allowed the prince to escape his grasp that night. Rebellion or not, we never would have been able to get the boy back no matter what we did. Dormer would have returned to the Dread empty handed or worst dead in trying to locate a boy without success. The only reason why the prince was able to escape to the docks in the first place is simply because the real enemy wasn’t there.

Richmond is a lot of things but the man isn’t stupid. He knows there are ears everywhere and there’s something that he wants to say but he can’t deliver the message straight forward. They have to be encrypted and that makes it even worst to figure out. The king on the other hand never doubted Richmond for a second. The letter I had received from Richmond back at the capital had not come to a surprise to the king either. As a matter of fact, he had received the exact same letter as well and he never bothered to mention it to anyone so that makes me wonder if the king trusts any of the wardens completely. He’s allowing his son to remain under my care though; it has to count for something…

I’m willing to bet that Richmond knows who the instigator is. He knows who’s pulling the strings, the real fucking traitor but he can’t prove it. It’s the only reason that would explain why he’s being so secretive with his messages. He has his doubts as to who it is but there’s not enough evidence to convict the bastard… I have to get someone to Emerald Harbor-

“Here you are again deep in thoughts.”

My wife’s soft voice takes me out of my thoughts as I look to my left to meet her blue eyes staring back at me and I can’t help but wonder how all of this happened. I had initially rejected the life I was born into. I didn't want it and prefer to do things my way, on my terms and work for my own merits. To live a live as a commoner was never much of an issue for me but at the same time I wanted more. Never thought I’d ever end up so high though. Being a liege lord was the last thing I ever expected to reach but here I am. I sure as hell didn’t expect to get a wife as beautiful as Alana though to be honest. I can only imagine the other lords cursing that it was I, the liege lord of the Stone Islands and Warden of the Sea that ended up winning the hand of one of the most beautiful women in the realm.

“Morning.” I tell her as I sit and before I can leave the comfort of our bed, she reaches out and gently holds my arm to prevent me from leaving.

“It’s too early. Stay with me a bit longer.” She says softly.

“That’s a tempting request.” I reply back and a smile forms on her beautiful lips.

“It’s a request with benefits.” She states and I can’t help but grin at her intentions. This is the day I’m so going to be late and I'm not even sorry.

“How can I possibly refuse?” I say as I lean towards my wife and start kissing her when I suddenly hear a loud ruckus and the door swings open.

“My lord!” I hear Kane shout as he enters our chambers. “Oh shit!” He quickly blurts out the moment he laid eyes on us and in a flash his face turned red as he quickly turns around and exit the room in all haste.

“Kane! Seven fucking hells, your foul mouth has frightened my lady!” I shout as I get up and hand over my wife’s robes for her to put on.

“Stop tormenting him.” She tells me as she quickly puts on the robe and gets up.

“Kane! Get in here.” I order and without delay I hear the door open again.

“My apologies, my lord, my lady.” Kane quickly apologies, exactly like I thought he would and then all goes silent as I turn to face him and I could have sworn right then and there, in this very moment he was just done. “Seriously?” He says with a straight face, void of emotions as if he has no idea how to react. After knowing Murray for so long, he shouldn’t be bothered by anyone’s antics at this point. Especially not mine anyhow.

“You know, I think I’ll make a nudity day on the island. All day would be in the nudes day!” I state before grabbing a pair of pants, not really bothered about my own nakedness. It seems to be bothering Kane more than me which is fucking hilarious. “There’s no fear.” I add as I try to keep a poker face on all the while I can see the life just zap away from Kane’s face. What did he expect would happen when he comes into my chambers before I even got up from bed? He had it coming so I might as well have some fun while it lasts.

“And when that day happens a man will be cold in the night.” Alana voices out casually as she looks at me with her arms crossed against her chest. Now that’s a frightening thought, she wins this round.

“There’s one fear.” I reply back as I quickly put on my pants. Enough of the fun and games, it was good while it lasted but Kane never bothers me without a good reason. Whatever it is can’t be good for me nor can it wait. “What’s so important that you had to come bother me at this hour?” I ask.

“It’s the prince.” Kane answers. Not that it surprises me in the slightest. Of course it’s the prince. It’s always the prince and I can’t help but debate in my mind if I dare ask what it is… Again…

“What about the prince?” I ask as I finish securing my belt around my waist. “And don’t tell me it’s because he’s gotten into another fight with the king. I swear to god I will lock them both in a cell together.” I add as I put on a shirt swiftly over my head and quickly tuck the bottom into my pants.

“No, my lord. The prince is sick.” Kane advises and that’s a slap in my face. How the fuck is the prince sick? He was perfectly fine yesterday morning?

“Sick?” I blurt out in disbelief. Can I get a break for just a day for crying out loud? “He was fine yesterday.” I point out the rather obvious only to get that look from my wife. Yeah it’s concerning but seriously, how can you be healthy one minute and then be sick the next one?

“Kougami found him this morning in pain in his chambers. From what I can tell it seems like there’s something wrong with his stomach.” Kane informs me and of course Kougami is the one to find him this way. Okay, it could have been someone else that found the prince this way but Kougami, really? I'd rather beat him with a stick. And first of all, what the fuck was he doing in the prince's bedchamber in the first place? Fucking Kougami. I swear to the gods I will murder that thing before this is all over.

“What did he eat?” I inquire as I continue putting my clothes on as quickly as I can.

“Nothing unusual.” Kane quickly replies back and I bolt out of the room and Kane follows.

How can a perfectly healthy person just becomes ill just like that? I know the prince has been prone to sickness when he was young but his isolation did not help. He was not exposed to anything and not to mention that Octavia is much cleaner than the capital. And, if the prince did not eat anything unusual on the island, it doesn’t explain why he’s got a stomach ache.

I quickly climb down the stairs with Kane in tow and I just want to flip. It’s always one thing right after the other. Ever since I’ve returned home it’s been a never ending series of fiasco. I know some things can’t be helped such as natural disasters and yeah illnesses too but we’re not in an epidemic of the plague… Well, I better not say it too fast, that’s the only thing that has not happened yet. Here are the mighty Islanders, nearly destroyed by the plague… That surely would sound great in the history textbooks…

“Does the king know?” I ask as I reach the bottom of the tower and make my way through the empty hall with Kane following closely beside me.

“Murray was going to inform the king, my lord.” He answers.

“Good. At least he won’t be able to say that he wasn’t informed about his son’s condition.” I state but to be honest this is not something that I want happening while the king is still here.

The prince becoming ill on my watch is simply not good for me. Not in the slightest at all. If the king thinks that I’m unable to keep his son safe and well, he’ll take him elsewhere and then we might have a problem. The issue needs to get fix and fast.

As much as I would like to shrug this into the back of my mind and dismiss it as something minor and just have the maester tend to the prince, I can’t. I may not particularly like Kougami but if he felt the need to alert Kane of the issue, it can’t be a good sign.

The tower of joy comes into view as I speed up my pace and climb up the stairs, two steps at a time until I reached the top. Wasting no time in swinging the door open and make my way through the living quarters of the tower of joy and make my way straight to the prince’s bedchamber.

“Maester, advise. What’s the situation?” I order the old maester as I observe the prince’s motionless form lying on the feather bed. His hair is damp and his pale face is somewhat reddish from a fever probably. His breathing isn’t normal but it doesn’t worry me. I’ve heard far worst.

“I’ve given the prince milk of Lys for the pain. I’ve had to give him a strong dosage to ease the pain and the effects have started to work.” Maester Rodrigue answers and that’s what I figured he did which is good.

If the prince contracted this illness by consuming something that wasn’t good, I need to know before I have an epidemic on my hands. Enough have died already. I can’t afford to have any other casualties right now.

“What is causing the illness?” I ask the maester.

“Could be multiple things but-”

“But what?” I quickly cut him off.

“The prince has disturbing bruises on his body. From neck down. Some more apparent than others.” The maester tells me as he walks over to the prince and pulls the cotton sheet down to his waist, revealing the purplish bruises on the prince’s body. “The formation of the bruises would hint that something wrapped around the limbs to constrict.” The maester further adds and he doesn’t have to tell me what those bruises are. Only one thing can do bruises like that and now I’m in rage.

“A Cypress.” Kane voices out.

“It would seem so but as intrusive as they can be, they are harmless to the human health.” The maester advises and he’s right. Cypresses are a real nuisance but they’re not deadly nor can they really hurt you. It’s just an awkward plant that basically molest it’s victims so it’s quite an embarrassing situation to get into. Although, there are some who deliberately seek Cypresses out in order to get molested by them but you never know what those things will do. So people who fell victim to them were molested and that was it and others experienced something completely different. The Cypress molested them but went even further as to rape them with their vines.

“What about to Merpeople?” Kane quickly asks as he pulls the sheet back up to cover the prince and that’s a good question. I’ve never heard any tells about Merpeople and Cypresses so I wouldn’t know. “The prince is part Merman after all.” Kane adds and that again is another thing. What is safe to a human isn’t necessarily safe for the prince in his case.

“I have no knowledge that a Cypress is toxic to Merpeople.” The old maester answers and that doesn’t bloody help.

I quickly glance towards Kougami who’s been sitting at the desk in silence which is odd for him. Normally he doesn’t miss a chance to voice out his presence. Almost like he’s afraid we’ll forget him or something.

“Kougami.” I call out as I look at him for an answer.

“No. They’re not toxic to our health.” He quickly responds back calmly. At least a bit of good news and if that’s the case, there’s something else causing the prince to be ill.

“The prince’s symptoms might be caused by trauma.” I say and continue as I look at the old maester, “Either way, care for him until the symptoms die down.”

“I will do everything I can.” The maester responds and I know he will. Rodrigue is good at healing, maybe not the best in the world but he’s got some skills. Other than the Grand Maester, the prince could not be in better hands.

**XXX**

* * *

 

**Chapter 27.5**

**Kougami**

Fear crept through my mind when the ocean turned violent. I knew something was wrong and when the water just suddenly warmed up, I knew it was bad. I rushed back to Octavia in all haste only to find the island in complete disarray. The damages were not as bad as I had thought but they were still evident. The only thing that helped to calm my nerves was when I caught wind that the royal family were safe and well. At least I knew that Gino was alright.

On my way to Gino’s quarters last night, I got distracted and to be honest I don’t know why I even went out of my way to see what the commotion was. It’s not like it was any of my business but what I found was pure shock. First, I was shocked to learn that the stern old man with silver hair that never smiles is Kane’s father. Second, I was shock to learn that Kane has a brother as well of which I’ve never heard him speak. But, what shocked me the most was the way Kane’s father spoke to his son, his own flesh and blood. I could feel the malice and hatred in the old man’s voice as he spoke. The way he was putting down his own child was beyond me.

“I want that Cypress located and dealt with.” Sugo orders as if a Cypress is such a bad thing. I for one absolutely love them. The fluid they secret is the absolute best. You can do so much with it so I really don’t get why he’s so angry over here. Maybe he could benefit by taking some, maybe his lady wife would be happy too.

“I think I know where the Cypress might be located.” Kane advises, catching Sugo’s attention. “I’ll take care of it.” Kane quickly volunteers and that might be a bad idea cause if I was a Cypress, I wouldn’t miss my chance in getting a piece of that.

Those things are hard to predict and they are known to be picky but I'd be willing to bet a Cypress would choose Kane. And the thing is, I think I would just sit back and watch as the Cypress would slither its way around his body. I'd enjoy watching as it starts pleasuring his body and he would moan in delight. And then, once the Cypress would be done I'd continue and take it up a notch and really make him cry out in ecstasy and pure bliss.

God! The more I think about it, I want to hear Kane moan and squirm in pleasure under me as I take him over and over again all night long. Damn that's so tempting.

“Take Dormer with you.” Sugo adds and yeah it makes sense but why assign one of the most deadly human for such a trivial task? I know Dormer’s face is hideous but still. The way it sounds to me, it’s almost as if Sugo can’t say no to Kane but by making Dormer tag along also says that he doesn’t believe that Kane has what it takes to destroy a Cypress. The guy is an Islander after all; Sugo should know how Islanders are. They’re tough as steel and I for one would not tangle with an Islander. Maybe I could try my luck in bedding a good looking Islander but that takes some strategizing over here and I for one want to live.

“Dormer is too large. He won’t be able to get through the rocky pass. It’s much too narrow.” Kane voices out and I could have sworn that piece of information was the same as if someone slapped Sugo in the face which is fucking hilarious.

“Murray!” Sugo calls out as he walks out of the room and Kane follows, leaving me alone with the maester.

I quickly get up and walk over towards the old maester as I peek out towards the door to see what Sugo is doing and much to my luck he’s talking with Murray and a middle aged man that I’m not too familiar with and I’m thinking that I should. Not that it matters at the moment as I return my attention towards the old maester.

“Maester, I might know what is causing the prince pain.” I quietly tell the maester, catching his full attention.

“We should alert-”

“This needs to stay between us for now.” I quickly cut him off as I motion my hand in front of my mouth to hint that we need to be quiet as I add, “It’s a complicated matter. One that needs to be handled gently as you can agree that Sugo is quite overwhelmed considering everything that’s happened.”

“Yes, of course.” The master agrees in a low tone.

“Boil these into water as you would do to make tea.” I instruct as I give him the herbs and he takes them discreetly to observe. “Have the prince drink it every hour and he will recover.” I further instruct.

“These are used for moon tea. They’re for-”

“Trust me. It will work.” I cut him off again and repeat, “This needs to stay between us for now.”

“Of course.” He agrees as he tucks the herbs inside the pocket of his robe as if nothing happened and I know I can trust that he will keep to his word. “Oh, your Grace.” He voices out and I turn to face the man I could not name earlier and now I feel like slapping myself in the face.

Your grace, so that’s the king in the flesh, Gino’s father. Can’t say I had the pleasure to meet him before but he’s nothing great to be honest. His looks are average at best. He’s not bad looking but he’s no beauty like his son so it's safe to say that Gino got his looks from his mother. However, the king gives the appearance of a man who might have been a great warrior in the past and probably still is. The king seems to be fit and lean so he might still be a formidable warrior on the field. We’ll have to wait and see.

The king walks past me as if I wasn’t even there but acknowledges the old maester before sitting down on the side of Gino’s bed and gently brushes his hair away from his son’s face. The king’s face is filled with sorrow; I can tell that his son’s condition bothers him greatly. If anyone has any doubt if this man loves his son, I can see it clearly right now. This is a man who had to carry a lot on his shoulders and he’s completely torn at how there’s nothing he can do to make his child better.

“Kougami!” I hear Sugo call out to me.

I rip my gaze off the king and exit the room as I close the door halfway before joining Sugo and the Islander pack in the tower’s living quarter.

“What now?” I ask with little interest.

“You know you’re starting to give me some ideas here.” Sugo tells me and I probably can imagine what he may be thinking. It’s no secret that he doesn’t have much adoration for me and quite frankly I don’t care.

I respect Sugo in a sense that he knows what he's doing in terms of playing the political game. I give him that, he's a good liege lord and his methods are effective but I fucking hate the man. He annoys me to no end and he's just a nuisance in so many ways. I haven't been able to bed Gino due to him cause I know he will be able to get the Islanders to back him up if I do something to Gino. Although, I will eventually get there and he will be none the wiser but damn what I wouldn't give to just hurt him in a way that he can't do a thing about it. Sometimes I think about seducing his pretty little wife when he's not looking. If he accuses me of sleeping with his wife, he'll condemn her to her death so he would have to keep his mouth shut. I could always do that but she seems like a good person though and she might be a good ally for me as well.

“I’m blaming you for this. My prince is ill because he got caught by a Cypress while looking for you.” Sugo adds with venom in his tone.

I knew that Gino went looking for me and I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that this incident happened during that time. But… Am I truly responsible for this? No, I’m not. It’s not my fault that Gino fell victim to a Cypress which then lead to another event. Now that, is something I deem my fault. I should have predicted Makishima would have done something like this and he will pay. I know how his mind tick and he’s going to hurt for this. He’ll pay and I’ll make sure it becomes fatal.

Considering how Sugo is reacting towards Gino’s condition, I can’t tell him what truly happened. I can’t tell him that Gino was more than just violated by a Cypress. It’s much worst. When I got back at the tower of joy, I quickly caught Makishima’s scent but I didn’t pay much mind to it since Gino’s bedroom door was closed so I figured he was already asleep. But this morning, when I heard Gino cry I knew something was wrong. He was squirming in his bed, clutching to his stomach and could barely speak due to the pain. Makshima’s scent was so strong on him, I knew what had happened and I knew why Gino was in so much pain. The fucking bastard, he’ll fucking pay with his damn life for what he did.

“Yes I figured that. You have no idea how that alone bothers me. If there’s anything I can do, I will.” I choose to say, half-truth but it does bother me that Gino got hurt. To be taken so violently like that and I wasn’t there to stop it. “Can’t say that I’m much of an expert on how to deal with a Cypress though.” I lie.

A Cypress isn’t that hard to deal with. They’re just a plant that favours some over others. I for one am not favoured by them. I don’t know why but I don’t care. It makes it easier for me to get their content without much of a struggle.

“That’s alright, Murray is more than familiar in dealing with those things.” Sugo advised so I guess Murray’s the lucky dog to tag along with Kane. I seriously doubt it that a Cypress will be interested in Murray. The man’s chest is so hairy, it’s scary. Kane on the other hand is the complete opposite from Murray which I find hilarious. “Anyhow, maester Rodrigue is getting old. I’d hate to see him constantly go up and down the tower and exhaust himself.” Sugo adds and I had a feeling about that.

So Sugo wants me to be the little errand boy for the maester. The reasoning is legit; going up and down the long staircase can be quite a strain on one’s heart. Especially at Rodrigue’s age so I will assist the old maester in any way I can but first I need to get things rolling. I have to set things in motion and I am pleased to know that Kane will be going on this hunt. I’m going to need him in order to make sure the plan works but I would have preferred if Dormer had been the tagging buddy instead of Murray. Dormer would have been much more effective than the bald man.

“I’ll assist the Maester with everything that he needs.” I tell Sugo politely.

“Good.” Sugo responds back with little care as he turns to face Murray. “Don’t take any unnecessary risk.” He warns the older man and if I didn’t know any better it would seem like Sugo might be sending the men off onto a hunt against some wild beast instead of a Cypress. Could it be possible that Sugo might have some doubts as to what really happened to Gino? For my sake, I hope not.

“Have we ever taken unnecessary risks before?” Murray asks.

“An apple a day, keeps the maester away.” Kane calmly responds which makes no sense at all to me or maybe there’s some internal thing involved here. I’m not sure but I don’t get how an apple a day can keep the maester away. It makes no sense.

“Those are wise words.” Murray responds back and I’m thinking that he was probably the one who came up with it. If that’s the case, it’s probably not a mature one either.

“You threw an apple at the maester.” Sugo voices out so my assumption was correct but who in their right mind would throw an apple at an old man… Oh wait. That’s right. That’s something Murray would do.

“It worked didn’t it!?” Murray exclaims proudly. That man has a serious problem on so many levels and to think that Gino made this man a lord of an island. That’s such a bad idea on so many levels.

“Just get back in one piece will you.” Sugo tells them before climbing down the stairs and we follow shortly afterwards.

“Just the other day I did a round for those damn things. A real bother if you ask me.” Murray says as we climb down the stairs and reach the bottom.

“If you don’t mind me asking. What do you do once you’ve killed a Cypress?” I ask as I follow the men down the hall.

“Complete disposal and don’t even dare ask where I dispose of them.” Murray answers and of course the man wouldn’t tell me more which is a shame. I’d love to get my hands on some but if not that one, I know where there are a few more around here so no worries.

“I would have thought humans would have gathered the Cypress’s juices for other things.” I voice out only to see what might be Murray’s opinion on the matter. Maybe even get Kane’s thoughts on the subject which I rather doubt it since he rarely voices out his opinions as if he doesn’t have any. But, to be honest, the liquid that pretty much makes a Cypress is so beneficial for so many things. Humans are idiots for not taking advantage of it.

“That’s exactly why I make sure to get rid of it.” Murray answers which pretty much state that humans probably only know how to use it as an aphrodisiac which is in truth one of its utilities but it’s good for so much more. “How many do you think would use such a substance against the innocent?” Murray asks and that’s true. I can’t deny that a lot of people would use it to their own advantage. Those people would probably be men who are prying on younger victims. To be a bit more specific, it would be men prying on boys who have not yet reached adulthood. These men would get the boys intoxicated which would make them powerless to resist their aggressor.

It’s exactly what happened to Gino. The Cypress did what it always does but once it was over, Gino was intoxicated by the Cypress’ substance and due to that it made him an easy prey. When Makishima took him, Gino might have not wanted it but due to the substance’s effect, his body said otherwise. It also helps to null the sense of pain so even if Makishima was rough during the ordeal, Gino never felt any pain. Only pleasure and that alone when you don’t understand what’s happening to your own body is none the less humiliating.

“You have a point and I agree.” I choose to say as we exit the castle and make our way through the busy street of the city.

I have to say that the city is recovering quite nicely. There’s still quite a lot of repairs that need to be done but it’s coming along. A few more weeks and the city should be back to normal but I wonder if any damages were done to the fields? The island is quite large but it only contains one city and it doesn’t consume half of the island. Yes the city is spacious and it’s not very crowded but I’ve always wondered how the fields are handled if the population is so low.

I watch Murray as he takes the lead onto the docks as we exit the busy city. The bald man goes down onto the pier and enters a boat and that’s my signal to start my plan. I know Makishima is lurking about and as much as he’s smart, I can also predict what he’ll do next. He’s always been obsessed with me and he always goes after what he believes is mine so it’s time to give him another target. This time, it’s going to cost him.

“Hey Kane. About yesterday-”

“Kougami don’t even go there. It’s over, it’s done and we move on.” Kane quickly cuts me off without taking the time to look at me as he inspects his gear.

“I know. I just wanted to apologize. I know it wasn’t my place and I’m sorry. I was just concern about you, that’s all.” I tell him and it is true. After I heard his father say how much he wanted to kill his own son, it sting. No child should ever be told something like that by their own parent. It’s just not something to say at all to anyone.

That event last night showed me another side of Kane. It helps to try and understand the guy a little more but it also leaves so many questions. Who exactly is that old man and why does he hold so much power on this island? Is this why Sugo holds Kane quite high in the chain of commands? Does he keep Kane close as a way to keep that old man on friendly terms with him and if that’s the case, it’s not going to do much in the end since the man doesn’t care for his son at all. It also raises another question if Sugo even knows and if he does, well things just took another turn for the worst and I’m not sure if I want to even go there.

I do wonder who Kane’s brother is, if he’s younger or older. I’d be willing to bet that Kane’s brother is older cause I know for a fact that a father always loves their first born so much more. Unless their first born was a girl and their second was a son then it would be different but in this case I’d be willing to bet that Kane is the youngest. I wonder if his brother has the same mentality and temperament as Kane does. Probably not.

The youngest sibling on the other hand is always the better looking in the realm of men. Don’t ask me how that happens, it’s weird and there’s no explanation but within humans, the youngest always seems to be better looking. In Kane’s case, I don’t have the complete proof cause I have no idea how his brother looks like but seeing Kane gives a hard competition. He’s tall and slim but unlike a lot of men he’s got more hips and a great ass to match his broad shoulders.

Kane is not what you would expect from an average man. He’s got a masculine built but his frame is so delicate. His face is soft with high cheekbones and a strong jawline. His blue eyes are the first thing that catches your attention. It’s not dark like I’ve seen on Sugo’s wife nor is it that regular blue that you often see in blue eyed humans. It’s a soft blue similar to cerulean but with specks of white mixed into it which almost gives it an icy feel to them. It’s quite beautiful and with his fair pale skin and light brown hair just makes Kane so hard to ignore. His hair though seem to be getting paler or maybe he’s just been in the sun too long and yet his skin hasn’t gotten darker since the last I saw him but either way, he keeps on getting prettier.

“Just keep an eye on the prince.” He tells me.

“Two eyes even.” I reply back as I watch Kane sheath his blade away and I glance towards the boat Murray boarded but couldn’t see the man.

I step forward towards Kane, catching his attention as he looks up to meet my gaze. It’s now or never, there’s no backing down now. If I hesitate, the plan won’t work but it’s not like the thought hadn’t crossed my mind to do this before. At one point, I knew I would tempt my luck with this man and why the hell not now. I might as well have some fun while I’m on land and I plan on making every day count.

Without missing a beat, I quickly moved in and pressed my lips onto Kane’s soft lips. Pulling his body closer towards mine for a few seconds before pulling away from the kiss, dragging my lips near his ear to whisper, “Once things die down, once you’ve returned from the hunt. I’d like to get a bit intimate.”

“What?” He awkwardly asks. His confused expression says it all, with only his eyes moving as if searching for an answer for what just happened and I must say that I like this expression on him. I might not be able to bed Gino, not now at least but there’s nothing stopping me from pursuing this gorgeous man over here. I'll definetely be looking forward into seeing his naked body soon.

“We’ll talk later.” I say as I back away at the same time Murray comes out of the boat none the wiser of what just happened. Not that it matters anyway but I will be looking forward into seeing Kane later tonight. I think I more than deserve a good night with a gorgeous human. Especially a human that will have Makishima’s blood on his hands. Go ahead you fucking bastard, just try it and you’ll quickly find out how savage an Islander can be. The outcome won’t be the same as what you did to Gino and that will be your last mistake.


End file.
